A Second Glance
by shinyumbreon2
Summary: You may think you know Paul. A cold, heartless jerk who would always call Ash pathetic. But what if there's method to the madness? What if there are skeletons in his closet? And what if a girl, a boy, and a Pokémon could help him get rid of all of that?
1. Chapter 1: Just You Wait

One day had passed since Paul had that battle with Ash, or, as he liked to call him, a pathetic loser. There was just something about that kid and his upbeat attitude that pissed him off to no end. He shook his head. _I have got to stop thinking about that_, he thought. He grunted. _A loss, yeah, whatever. He didn't lose, Professor Rowan said so. It was a tie and...God DAMN IT! _He shook his head once more. He wondered if he was attracting stares from the other people in the Pokémon Center, but he seriously didn't care. Who cared about what other people thought? Unless it came to how strong of a Trainer you were, of course. And even then, only the opinion of those he thought were worthy to be considered strong could tell them their opinion and not get ignored._ Like that Loser, who does he think- oh for crying out loud! _"Hey, Mister Twitchy?" someone piped up. "Mind cooling it? You're rocking the whole bench with your constant foot tapping." Paul opened his eyes and turned to the voice. It was a girl who looked to be about his age, which was 15, or maybe even a year younger. She had Murkrow black hair that went a little passed her shoulders and was tied up in a ponytail. She wore a red bandana that had a white Poké Ball logo on the right side, a white button-up t-shirt, a red-and-black plaid skirt, and red sneakers. On her back was a red backpack. She also sported a fingerless glove on her left hand and a very annoyed look on her face.

Paul hadn't even noticed that he was tapping his foot quickly. He stopped it and huffed a very non-meaningful, "Sorry."

"Oh, thank you for the sincerest of apologizes," the girl replied, sarcasm dripping from her voice. She rolled her hazel eyes. "You must be a riot at parties."

"I don't go to parties," Paul stated curtly, ruining the joke, though he didn't care.

"Sorry Mister Sensitive," the girl mumbled, rest her right elbow on her knee and then her head on the open palm.

"I thought it was Mister Twitchy."

"You changed when you started being a pain."

"Why are you talking to me anyway?" Paul asked, glaring at her. "You don't even know me."

"Hey, all I did was ask you to stop shaking the whole bench, and then you had to be all pissy about it."

"I don't get pissy."

"Keep telling yourself that."

The purple haired boy grunted. He wished his Pokémon would get healed already, but the whole Center was crowded. "Thanks, Nurse Joy!" a little boy cried as the lady handed him his Poké Balls. He ran out the door. Paul sighed, getting impatient.

"I know, this is boring," the girl said. "How long have you been waiting?"

Paul wondered if he should answer that. One minute they were having a spat and the next she just wanted to chat. _Weird girl. Might as well talk, though. I've got nothing else to do._ "10 minutes."

"15," was the reply from the other Trainer. "Wonder why it's so crowed?"

"Does it matter?" Paul asked.

"Guess not." There was silence. "I would ask you to battle, but then we'd have to wait all over again."

Paul grunted, but this time out of amusement. If the girl knew him, she would feel proud. Getting any sort of amusement out of the teen was like trying to find a Ralts. "How would I know if you're even worth my time?" he asked with a smirk.

The girl gave a smirk of her own. "I've been across Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn and challenged every single gym and won every single badge."

"Doesn't mean shit if you haven't won a Pokémon League."

"I have, so don't be throwing that lame ass excuse at me."

"Where's your proof?"

"At home, proudly hanging on my wall." Then she dug through her backpack and pulled out a camera. "Or in the archives, since we can't exactly get to Saffron City from here."

Paul took the camera and turned it on. "Saffron, huh? Must be rich then."

"Hey, not every person in Saffron is a rich stuck up asshole."

The teen grunted in amusement again. "Touché," he said. "So, which picture?" The girl scooted over and went through the various pictures until she got to one where she was standing in front of three plaques hanging on her wall. Paul raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't look like any plaque of the Pokémon League that I've ever seen."

"Not familiar with the Elite Four Run?" the female Trainer asked.

Paul looked at her with slight surprise. The Elite Four Run was harder than the Pokémon League, so most people didn't participate in it. The challenge was to go through all four Elite Four members and then the champion (the Kanto League was an exception) in a row without going to a Pokémon Center. _This girl must be incredibly tough if she won all three of these, _Paul thought. "You know, it's not fair to go into a new region with Pokémon that have done that challenge," he noted, giving her the camera back.

"I know that!" the girl replied, putting the camera back. "They all stay at home...well, except for one."

"Haley Sedai, your Pokémon are all healed!" Nurse Joy announced.

"_Finally_!" Haley huffed, standing up. She walked over to grab her Poké Balls. Paul was curious about the Pokémon she never left behind, so he followed her. Normally, he wouldn't do so, but his curiosity was getting the better of him.

"Oh, and you must be Paul," Nurse Joy stated as he walked up. Paul nodded. "Well, I just so happen to have your Pokémon as well." She showed him tray of four Pokémon. In his battle against Ash, he had only used two of them, but in truth he had a team of four since he had just gotten back from the Hoenn region and had decided not to give two of his Pokémon to his older brother. He bowed (he wasn't rude to authority figures, even if they did make you wait forever) and took his Pokémon back.

The girl he now knew as Haley took her party of four. "So, show me this reoccurring member," Paul insisted.

Haley smiled at him. "If I do, can I get a battle?"

"I have a reoccurring member of my own. If I think yours is good enough, I might just agree.

"Okay then." She took one of the Poké Balls and threw it up. The ball opened and the beam released an Umbreon.

The feline-looking Pokémon shook out its body. "Um-Umbre!" it cried.

Paul studied the girl's long time partner. Its muscles were well toned, looking like a runner; from the many days he had watched his brother (who was a breeder) take care of Pokémon, he could tell it was fast and light on its feet, a trait not common among others of its species, which while fast obviously not as fast as this one appeared to be. Its fur was glossy, meaning it was well feed and healthy. Its crimson eyes looked like it had seen many battles, not to mention they were calculating. He couldn't believe he was thinking this, since he never thought any Pokémon could do this, but he swore as he studied it, _it _was studying _him_. And its eyes seemed to scream, "What? Do you think you're good enough?" Paul kind of reeled back from that, making Haley laugh. "Umbreon likes a challenge, don't you, Girly?"

"Um!" the Moonlight Pokémon cried, wagging her tail. Umbreon was looking at Paul again, and now her eyes said, "Come on, you're a strong trainer, right? Let's fight!" Or at least, that's how he interpreted it as. He had never read anyone's eyes before, much less a Pokémon's.

The teen had seen enough. He huffed in amusement. "Alright, I'll battle you," he decided. "You'll be taking on my Torterra."

"Ooo, so big and scary," Haley said, obviously faking it since she had a big grin on her face. "Umbreon was my first you know. She was just an Eevee when we started," she continued, boasting. Said Pokémon was wagging her tail even more.

"Like that little cat can actually do anything," he stated with a smirk on his face.

"We'll make you eat those words," Haley challenged.

The next thing they knew, both Trainers and their respective partners were out on the battlefield right behind the Pokémon Center. Apparently they had some sort of aura or atmosphere to the fight that attracted spectators. Not the Paul took notice. The only person he was focused on was his opponent on the opposite side. "Just so you know, Torterra was _my _first," Paul warned. "It's not to be taken likely." Torterra cried out in agreement.

"He does look pretty strong," Haley agreed. Paul raised an eyebrow. Not even he or his brother knew Torterra was male, and yet this girl could tell without blinking an eye. "But Umbreon has taken down her share of big foes, so don't think size is everything." Umbreon crouched to the ground, as if she were ready to pounce. He expected her to growl from the hunting look her eyes gave, but not one sound came from the black cat.

"Then that only means I won't hold anything back." Paul sneered. "Not that I was going to." Haley snickered. "Since you were the one who challenged me, I'll let you go first."

"Aw, I thought you would let me go first 'cause I'm a girl and you wanted to be a gentleman," she joked. Paul couldn't hold back a small smile. When Ash bantered before their battle, it was something about being friends and trust. He assumed Haley was friends with her Pokémon as well, but unlike his rival, she didn't preach it. And though the joke was corny, he had to admit it was fresh compared to the "We'll show you the real super power of teamwork!" bullshit speech every other trainer gave him. "Whatever, it's all the same to me. Umbreon, let's get this party started with a Shadow Ball!" The way her Pokémon jumped in the air made Paul believe the reason the Moonlight Pokémon had been in that crouch was because she was anticipating her Trainer calling out that move as their first. _Like they're in perfect sync or something_. He watched as the purple ball of ghostly energy began to form in Umbreon's mouth.

Paul looked at Torterra. There was one problem with his starter: he was too big and too slow. With something as agile as Umbreon, there was no way he could dodge attacks. Of course, Paul knew this already. He had known it ever since he had evolved him the first time. So the two had come up with ways to counter the flaw: either sit back and take it, or block it with your own attack. Seeing as it was probably best to try and slow the agile feline, he decided on the latter. "Leaf Storm, let's go," he ordered with no trace of panic in his voice. Torterra's tree began to glow green, and leaves began to shoot out at their opponent. In that instance Umbreon fired, and then followed up with something Paul never expected. Without even so much as her name being called, Umbreon's eyes began to glow blue, signifying that it was using Psychic. The Leaf Storm stopped dead in its tracks, and the leaves were dropped to the floor while the Shadow Ball zoomed straight to Torterra's face. The Continent Pokémon braced himself as he took the full force of the attack. Paul, meanwhile, was stunned. "But...but..."

"Surprised?" Haley stated as Umbreon landed safely. "See, we do that all the time when someone uses Razor Leaf. It's kind of just a habit now. Girly here knows what she's doing." The black cat let out a cry.

Haley's opponent grunted. It was as if these two could read each other's minds. For a second he doubted himself, something he never, _ever _did when he battled. But it was only for a second. The battle was just getting started, and it wasn't like he and Torterra hadn't faced impossible odds before. Now he knew what to expect. They had played their trump card most likely, while Paul was just getting started. He smirked as Torterra easily shook off the last attack. Never one to skip a beat, Paul went on the offensive this time. "Rock Slide," was his next command. His Pokémon let out a cry, and rocks began to rain down towards the opponent.

"Dodge!" the girl responded. Umbreon jumped out of the way, not realizing it was heading straight for Torterra.

_Perfect, _Paul thought. _Now, we'll take back the damage you took, if you don't mind. _"Giga Drain!" Now his Pokémon summoned green vines out of the spikes on his back.

"Shit," Haley cursed under her breath. "Faint Attack, get out of there!" The Moonlight Pokémon disappeared.

"Keep those vines alive!" Paul ordered. The vines whipped the air like crazy, trying to locate the invisible Pokémon. And then, right before Umbreon struck, Torterra caught her. "Good, now drain it!" Energy began to flow from the captive to her captor.

Haley growled. Then she noticed the leaves. "Umbreon, Psychic!" Her Pokémon didn't need to be told which objects to pick up, and with her mind sent the discarded leaves towards Torterra. Being half Ground type, it did some damage and allowed Umbreon to wiggle out of the loosening vines. She jumped back, never taking her eye off her opponent. "Faint Attack once more!" And the Pokémon disappeared again.

"Same as last time, Torterra!" But then Paul heard a "Tsk, tsk, tsk."

"Honestly, never use the same trick twice in a row," she advised. Paul was about to retort with how much of a hypocrite she was when Umbreon reappeared suddenly in front of Torterra, and with an already charged Shadow Ball in her mouth. Torterra was taken by complete surprise, as was Paul. With no order again, Umbreon attacked, and this time the close range Shadow Ball did more than just faze Torterra; it made him faint. Needless to say, Paul was speechless. No other Umbreon had that much strength, and yet in basically three attacks this one took Torterra down.

This Umbreon was special.

"Nice job, Girly!" Haley celebrated. The Pokémon let out her own victory cry before running to her Trainer and jumping into her waiting arms. "So, what did you think of that, Mister Hotshot?"

_I get new nicknames with every passing second, _Paul noted. He let out a "hmph". "Not bad," he said. Probably the best praise anyone would get. "But I want one more battle." He got Torterra's Poké Ball and beamed him back in, then replaced that Poké Ball with a new one. "We each use a Pokémon we just got from the Sinnoh region. And I have the perfect one." He moved his arm back. "Chimchar, stand by for battle!"

He threw the Poké Ball, and out popped the Chimp Pokémon, looking determined as ever. "Chim-Chimchar!" it exclaimed.

Paul gave off an evil-looking smile. "Just as that Umbreon of yours is one of a kind," he began, "my Chimchar happens to be special. You got lucky with that pervious win, but you won't this time."

"So things are about to get heated up, huh?" Haley replied eagerly. Once again Paul couldn't hold back a smile, dropping his previous one. Her starter jumped out of her hands as she reached for a Poké Ball. "Just don't come crying to me when you can't stand my kitchen. Chimchar, time to burn down the house!" She threw the Ball, and now there were two red chimps out on the field, both looking equally determined. "Since you were such a gentleman last round, I only think it's fair as a lady to return the favor."

The boy changed his smile again, now a smirk. "Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a 'lady'," he stated.

"That, my good man, would be even more insulting."

_This girl knows how to battle. _"Chimchar, Scratch!" he ordered, wasting no time. His Pokémon ran to the other, bearing its claws.

"Dodge!"

"Follow it!" He wasn't going to skip any beats this time, and he was taking all measures to win.

So there they were, one swiping at air as the other dodged, not easily but not too difficult either. The boy called off Scratch and went for Ember, despite the fact that it wasn't effective at all. Chimchar fired, and the other one dodged. Haley followed up with her own Ember, which Paul's Chimchar took on full force. He was left with just tiny burns but nothing major. And when his opponent ordered another Ember, Paul commanded a Flame Wheel. He hoped the opposing flame would get sucked in, which it did, and he also hoped for Blaze, which once again did not appear. Paul was getting a little agitated. Where was that Chimchar he had seen only two weeks ago? The Flame Wheel displayed was weak, at least by his standards. But to Haley it was amazing. When the wheel broke she was about to compliment how hot it burned when she noticed the unpleased look in his eye. _Strange_, she thought. _Why does he look upset? Maybe 'cause we dodged yet again. _Then she heard a voice.

Across the field, Paul was contemplating about whether or not to yell at Chimchar for his abysmal performance yet again when he noticed a look of confusion on the girl's face. She blinked twice, and then was whispering harshly to her own Chimchar. _Wonder what that's about? _Paul questioned. _Doesn't matter. _"Chimchar, Flame Wheel again!" The chimp charged up another one and shot towards the other.

"Try and keep him at bay!" Haley exclaimed. Her Chimchar fired off another round of Ember, which Paul welcomed but at the same time did not like. _If Chimchar decides to wimp out on me, I- _His thoughts were cut off when Flame Wheel became bigger and stronger, and now the wheel was charging faster towards Haley's Chimchar. "Come on, dodge!"

But it was too late. The Flame Wheel, while not as strong as the one Paul had seen the first time, hit full on, sending the girl's Chimchar flying right into her arms...fainted. Paul couldn't believe it. That couldn't have been Blaze, he knew it. So...was it just by accident? Had his opponent miscalculated? _No, _Paul thought, frowning. _She knows the battlefield; she was dominating it the entire time. It's like she _wanted _to lose but...why? _He walked over to his Chimchar, who looked a tad confused but happy that he (once again, this girl knew the gender and Paul was now informed) had won. Paul looked down at him, and Chimchar went from a very big grin to just a plain expression. "Why'd you throw the match?" Paul asked, turning his attention to Haley.

The girl looked at him, perplexed. "Not sure I follow," she replied as she petted her now awake yet very sleepy Chimp Pokémon.

"I'm not stupid," Paul retorted. "Why did you throw the match?"

"I didn't!" Haley defended. "I don't know what you saw to think I did, but I swear I'm not lying! Why would I throw the match anyway? Not like I have anything to gain from it. Not to mention I'm not a quitter, or have these two battles blinded you to that?"

Damn it, she was right. She hadn't faltered once in her attacks. He was probably right in assuming she had miscalculated, thinking Ember would actually push the Flame Wheel back. Paul sighed. "Sorry, I get paranoid sometimes. I don't like those who just give up." He quickly eyed Chimchar, but it was so quick the only one who noticed was the target, who had trained himself for moments of harsh criticism. It was what came with the price of being on Paul's team, after all...

"I completely understand," the girl stated, smiling. "So...Paul, right?"

"Yeah. And yours was Haley, I believe."

She grinned and, shifting her Chimchar, stuck out her hand. "Good battling, Paul. You're really something else, you know." Paul looked at the extended right hand. He wasn't the type who would usually return it, but he believed this opponent deserved his respect so he extended his own right hand and shook.

"You're not a bad battler yourself," he replied. "I would take pride in that; I don't hand that compliment out often."

Haley beamed, and even the tired Pokémon in her arms managed a pretty big smile, as did the Umbreon at her feet. "Hey, we'll see you again sometime, right?" she asked.

Silence. "...Perhaps."

"Good enough for me. Come on, Chimchar, I feed you some Oran Berries and then we can be on our way. I am _not _waiting again." Chimchar nodded, and with a wave and a "See you later!", the girl and her Pokémon walked off. When they were a good distance away, Paul noticed Haley and her Chimchar looked at each other and shared a triumphant smile. He saw her lips move. He wasn't good at lip reading, but those four words were so etched into his brain that he could easily tell what she said.

"He fell for it."

His eyes widened. She _had _thrown the match; that whispering must have been a quick plan ordered to do so, but for what purpose? _Why did she throw the match? _That question kept ringing, and it was so God damn loud. And it hurt that she blatantly lied to his face about it. He felt sick, betrayed, and most of all confused. Chimchar looked up at his Trainer. He met the Pokémon's eyes and crossed his arms. "What, you expect praise?" he lectured. "You got lucky, _again_. It's obvious we have to work harder on you." He narrowed his eyes as the girl disappeared into the city. "And we're going to find out about the reason behind her actions." He growled. "Haley Sedai, I _will _find out those motives."

"Just you wait."


	2. Chapter 2: We Could Be Partners

It was probably late afternoon. The sun would start to disappear behind the mountains soon. But Paul wasn't really concerned with time. He was just glad to be out of Bewilder Forest, probably one of the most annoying places the planet could produce. At least he got an Ursaring out of the whole thing. Didn't change the fact that he also ran into Ash again, who didn't just want to preach friendship and teamwork like _everyone else_, but now he was also insisting that the two of them become buddy-buddy. _Like that's ever going to happen, _Paul grunted. He kept walking down the path towards Oreburgh City, and then, off the beaten path, he heard someone singing. He also saw smoke. Someone had obviously set up camp a little ways in. Normally, he'd keep going without a second thought, but the voice sounded oddly familiar, so he hiked into the forest.

Not far from the path, he found Haley setting up a small camp and preparing dinner, singing to herself.

_There's a place I know, it's always jumping._

_I'm thinking we should go and leave our worries._

_You got a friend in me, and I'll tell you something:_

_This time can be extraordinary!_

"You have a good voice," Paul said, making Haley jump. Of course, that was his intention. He couldn't help but smile at the reaction.

"Holy shit, Paul!" Haley replied. "Not cool, man!" She sighed. "Well, it's nice seeing you again. What's up?"

_What's up is that I want to know why you lied to my face, _Paul thought, frowning internally. But he couldn't ask. He had gone over multiple conversations about the topic in his head, but every one of them he thought of some way she would counter. So he came up with a different idea, and it started with writing down what had happened and what he would ask when he got enough evidence to finally call her out. Instead, he answered with, "I was walking when I heard singing and saw a campfire. Thought I would check it out. And then I saw you, so I decided to scare you." He smirked to emphasize.

"So I noticed," the Trainer stated dryly. "Since you're here, you want to stay and have dinner? It'll be ready in a few minutes."

Paul shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do," he informed and walked into the small clearing. "Need help?"

"I'm making Pokémon food for my team. If you want to help me make some, that would be helpful. I can even make some for your team, if that's okay."

Another shrug. "Sure." When Haley asked for him to grab a berry out of her backpack, he went to get it. "So are you a breeder?"

"Nah, but my Uncle is," she explained. "He taught me the basics so that I could always have a strong, healthy team."

"What's his name?" Paul asked with the Oran and Pecha berries in hand.

"Ted Stewart. He's my mom's older brother." She took the berries and began to grind them up.

"I think I've heard of him."

"How?"

"My brother. He's a breeder as well." Haley looked at him but her hands were still working. "His name is Reggie."

Haley repeated the name quietly. "Oh yeah, now I remember!" she exclaimed. "He use to visit my uncle frequently. He was also a Trainer, right?"

Paul quickly walked towards the pot to check if their food needed attention. "Yeah, he was..." he mumbled.

"You don't seem too happy about that."

"More like I'm not happy about how he left the battling scene." He huffed. "I don't want to talk about it," he added, thinking she wanted more of an explanation.

"I wasn't going to ask." He turned around, surprised. "What? It obviously bothers you, so unless you wanted to, I wasn't going to pry."

"I see." Paul rubbed the ground with his foot. "Did you ever meet him?"

"Once or twice," she answered. "Hey, do you have any extra bowls for your team? I recently filled my roster so I don't think I have enough for both of our teams."

"Yeah, I have a few." He knelt down and opened his bag.

"Anyway, he was a pretty energetic guy," Haley continued. "Liked to talk and he rarely had a frown on his face. Totally the opposite of you."

Paul chuckled. "What, you think I didn't notice that?"

Haley laughed. "I just had to point it out. It's like when someone sees a tall person and they just have to go, 'Gosh, you are so tall!', as if said person didn't already know that." Paul chuckled again. "And I'm not saying that you guys being opposite is a bad thing. I actually think you're a pretty cool guy."

The boy zipped his bag and threw it next to the log where Haley's bag was resting. "You think so?"

"Well, I don't know you all that well, but my first impressions of you say that you are." She sniffed. "Think you can stir?"

"Got it." He took the ladle and circled it around. Then he heard one of the Pokémon coming out of its Poké Ball. Suddenly he was tackled. Luckily the ladle didn't fall out, but he was still on the ground, with Umbreon on his chest. "What the-"

Haley laughed. "Aw, are you excited to see him?" she sang. Umbreon's tail wagged, and her Trainer laughed again. "She missed you, you know. She hasn't had a battle that fun with a normal Trainer for quite a while."

"Um, Um!" the Moonlight Pokémon barked in agreement.

Paul sighed, though strangely he was a little happy. "That's nice and all, but can she get off my chest?" he asked. With that Umbreon jumped off, allowing Paul to sit back up and dust off his jacket.

A few minutes later, everything was ready. "'Kay, gang, dinner's ready!" Haley exclaimed as she threw five Poké Balls in the air. They popped open, and out came Chimchar, a Piplup, a Shinx, a Starly, and a Turtwig. Looking at the Tiny Leaf Pokémon reminded him of his earlier battle, and then Ash's lectures rang through his head. His left eye twitched. "Oh what, are my Pokémon not good enough for you?"

"What? Oh, sorry. No, it has nothing to do with you. I was thinking of someone else."

"Mind telling me? After we get everyone out here and eating, of course."

"Sure." Unlike most Trainers, Paul didn't say anything or throw all of his Pokémon out at once when it was time to eat, especially if the space was small. He had to find a place for Torterra to be without crushing anyone. When all of his Pokémon were out, Haley began passing out food, with Umbreon's Psychic to help.

Haley walked over to Torterra and Chimchar. "I didn't get the chance the other day, but thanks to both of you for a pretty good battle."

"Tor," Torterra replied and went to eating.

Chimchar didn't say anything. He looked at Paul, who only stared back at him. Thanks to Paul's rising suspicion of Haley's actions, Chimchar was worked a little harder than normal. Now Chimchar looked back and nodded. "Chim," he thanked and quietly went to eating as well.

Haley smiled, but Paul could have sworn it looked fake. He wasn't sure, though. "Well, shall we eat ourselves?" she asked, standing up. Paul nodded. "I'm actually really glad you're here," she continued as she got the bowls. "I always make extra, and then I have it for breakfast, sometimes even lunch the next day."

"Well at least that way you don't have to waste extra supplies."

"Good point." With bowls filled they sat on the log. Haley observed Paul's Pokémon. "So besides those two, you have an Elekid, an Ursaring, a Murkrow, and an Azumarill. Not bad."

"I just got Ursaring today, and Azumarill only yesterday."

"Oh yeah, what happened today?"

Paul huffed. "There's this really bratty Trainer who's always super upbeat and optimistic, like he thinks nothing in the world could go wrong. He's 10 years at least, 13 years at most. We've only met twice, but both times it's been the same thing. Friendship this, trust that."

Haley thought. "Kind of sounds like Reggie," she noted.

"Too much like him, maybe even worse," Paul added. "Not mention he insists on holding on to useless Pokémon, like that Turtwig of his."

"Ah, now I get it," Haley said, taking a spoonful and swallowing. "Mine triggered the memory."

"Exactly," the boy stated. "It wouldn't listen to a word he said, not to mention it was battling Chimchar, _and _his little antics attracted this trio of losers who sent us straight into Bewilder Forest."

Haley groaned. "It took me _hours _to get through that forsaken forest yesterday! All of those Stantler I luckily avoided, and the annoying ass Beedrill, and then there was this one Ursaring that-" She stopped and eyed Paul's, who was now eyeing her. She pointed. "That...that wouldn't happen to be-"

"So, what complaints were you going to make about _my _Ursaring that I caught in _Bewilder Forest_," he stated with a shit-eating grin.

"N-not important," Haley retracted. "That place was still stupid, though. So anyway, did you win or what?"

"We finally got out of that forest and resumed since that trio left. The Turtwig listened the second time by some miracle, but we still won because he decided to jump into the hole Chimchar had made using Dig."

"And then you used Ember?" It wasn't a question, more like she was looking for confirmation.

"Yep." Paul sighed. "And what's even more annoying about that kid is that he wants us to become friends."

The girl was thinking again. "I don't see harm in that," she voiced.

"Except that I find him annoying."

"So I've heard," Haley chuckled. She finished the last of her food. "Anything else worth mentioning?"

"He has this Pikachu that knows Volt Tackle, but in all honesty, even though its his strongest it's still not all that impressive."

"Hmm..." Haley looked over at Elekid. "He seems riled up."

"Those two have a rivalry of their own, I guess." He looked at Elekid as well. "Though, Elekid is stronger."

Haley shrugged. "I'd have to see it to judge." She stretched. "Well, I can see this conversation is getting on your nerves, so why don't we drop it."

_Was it...written on my face? _Paul thought, surprised. _I was only thinking that. I didn't say or do anything. How does this girl..._ "Yeah," he replied. "Are you heading Oreburgh?"

At the mention of the city, Piplup ran over and started chirping its head off. "Pip-Pip-Pip-Pip-Pip-"

Its Trainer laughed. "Alright, alright, Piplup, you're excited, I know!" She petted the Pokémon's head to calm it down. "Every time that city or the gym is mentioned, Piplup just goes nuts! He really wants to partake in the Gym Battle."

Paul huffed in amusement. "Well, it is a Rock-type Gym, so he would be a good choice."

"Pip-lup!" the Penguin Pokémon replied, puffing out his chest.

The boy could literally see a sweat drop form. "Please don't stroke his ego," Haley begged.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"So who are you going to use? I was actually planning on Turtwig and Chimchar. Hopefully he evolves before then."

Paul thought about the team of three he would use. "Azumarill definitely," he began. "Elekid-"

"But that's just asking for trouble!" Haley exclaimed.

"He knows Brick Break," Paul informed. Haley had one of those "Ooh" moments. "And Static will come in handy as well. The last one is tricky, though. If it weren't the first gym, I would use Torterra, but that would just be overkill."

Haley scanned the six Pokémon. "Why not Chimchar?" she suggested. Paul looked at her, and Chimchar looked a little frightened. Haley looked at the chimp. "You know Dig, not to mention you're fast. I think you could beat a Geodude. Maybe even an Onix."

"But not Roark's Cranidos," Paul said. Haley looked at him, confused. "You've never heard of one?"

"Well, _excuse_ me for living in Kanto!" she cried sarcastically, throwing her hands up. "I bet _you_ didn't know what a Dratini was until _you _saw one!"

"Touché," Paul said to her. "Anyway, it's a pure Rock type and has alright defenses and is fast too."

"Doesn't hurt to at least try. You _do _want Chimchar to get stronger, right?" Paul was surprised. He had never said anything about that. Well..._true_, everyone wanted their Pokémon to be strong, but he suspected no one wanted it as badly as he wanted it for Chimchar. _Blaze, I just want to see that Blaze again._ "This is a chance," Haley continued. "At least think about it."

Paul already was. "Yeah, I think I will."

Clean up was quick, and by the time they were done the light from the sun was starting to fade. "Stupid mountains for obstructing a beautiful sunset," Haley mumbled.

"We missed it anyway while we were eating," Paul pointed out.

"True." It was just the two of them and Umbreon in the clearing now. The Moonlight Pokémon was curled at Haley's feet as the humans watched the colors fade from their purple and oranges to a navy blue that would soon turn black and be filled with millions of white specks. "Hey Paul," Haley piped up after some silence, "do you ever get lonely?"

"No," he admitted. There was silence. He had a feeling of what he was trying to ask.

Perfect.

Because that was step two in his plan to finding her motives.

"But I wouldn't mind company."

"Really?"

Paul looked at her. He stuck out his right hand. "Partners?"

Haley grabbed it. "Partners."

...

A week had passed. Paul still wasn't use to the whole traveling-with-someone-else thing, but he was getting the hang of it. And Haley never pushed him to learn any faster. She never spoke to him if he didn't feel like talking and she rarely started the conversation since Paul wasn't use to that, either. But they did talk. He learned that she got Chimchar from Professor Rowan, Shinx was the first Pokémon she caught with Starly soon to follow, and by luck she happened to come across a wild Turtwig, which was very rare. "And a few days ago Uncle sent Piplup over, saying he needed a good Trainer and thought I fit the bill," she explained. Then she mumbled, "Doesn't mean he's not a pain in the ass sometimes."

Paul smiled. He found himself doing that more often as of late. "How is it that you know the genders just by looking at them?" he asked.

"Uncle taught me," she said.

"Look just because he's a breeder doesn't mean anything. Reggie can't tell unless he asks and gets a nod or a shake."

"My uncle has a sharp eye," Haley continued. "He said I inherited that. Not everyone can do it." Paul dropped the subject.

They finally got through the tunnel that led to Oreburgh City. Paul watched as the girl scanned the city, probably looking for the gym. "Just follow me," he said, taking the lead.

The duo walked through the city, and they stopped in front of a building that looked like a plateau. "How...original," Haley stated. Paul rolled his eyes. "At least it fits." They walked to the door and entered. A man was standing behind the counter. He looked up when they walked in and offered a smile.

"Ah, and what can I do for you two?" the man asked.

"We're here for a gym challenge," Paul said, getting to the point.

"Both of you?" They nodded. "Well, unfortunately, Roark isn't here right now. He's working at the mines and probably won't be here until later today."

Paul grunted. He hated when Leaders were more preoccupied in their hobbies rather than their jobs. "Guess we'll just come back later," Haley stated. "Hey, Paul, we need to figure out-"

"You can go first, I don't care," Paul interrupted as he headed for the door.

"Always the anti-social," the girl replied, hands behind her head, as she followed. The automatic doors opened, revealing another Trainer standing there. He looked shocked as the partners stepped outside.

"Whoa, it's Paul!" the boy exclaimed.

_Great, just fucking great, _Paul thought. "Do I know you?" he said aloud. Haley had to hold back a chuckle, instead keeping the straight look that was on her face. Hearing the other voice, the man walked outside as well.

"Paul, are these friends of yours?" he asked.

"No way," the boy responded quickly, as if he already knew the question and had prepared an answer beforehand.

"You must have just fought a battle," the new Trainer stated. _Oh, so because I _walk _out of a gym that means I battled? _Paul scoffed._ Give me a break. _"Get a badge?"

Haley was about to answer but was quickly cut off. "Actually, that's none of your business," Paul answered.

The boy looked confused before the man said, "I'll bet you're here for a gym battle, too," he noted.

"Y-yeah," the boy stuttered. "M-my name's Ash and I'm from Pallet Town. This is going to be my first battle in Sinnoh. It's great to be here."

"Pikachu," the Pikachu on his shoulder agreed.

"Say, that's quite a long trip, all the way from Kanto," the man said. "Welcome to the temple of Rock Pokémon, the Oreburgh Gym."

"This is a gym for Rock Pokémon?" Ash asked.

Paul couldn't believe that. "_Duh_," he said. And to that, Haley couldn't hold back a chuckle, though she tried.

"And what's so funny?" the only other girl asked.

"Hey, no need to get testy," Haley defended, smiling.

"Anyway, you've got it," the man told Ash. "And our Gym Leader's name is Roark."

Ash came to a realization. "Wait, then that must mean you're not the Gym Leader," he figured. Paul had to resist smacking some sense into this guy.

"I take care of the Pokémon here," the man explained. "The name's Ian, and Roark's not here at the moment. I'm sure you'll be able to have a battle with Roark once Paul and..." Ian felt awkward for not asking the name of the girl, and even more awkward when he realized the only reason he knew Paul's was because the other challengers had said it.

"Haley," the girl answered him.

"Right, sorry. Once Paul and Haley finish theirs."

"Sounds great!" Ash exclaimed, not bummed out in the slightest.

_Well with this pointless conversation out of the way... _"So until Roark gets back, we'll be at the Pokémon Center," Paul informed. He bowed quickly and began to walk off, with Haley ready to follow him.

"Hey Paul!" Ash called after him. Haley stopped. "You better give it everything you've got!" Now Paul stopped.

"Well actually, I go first," Haley stated, finally getting something in that was useful to the conversation.

"So Paul wanted to be a gentleman, huh?" the other girl joked.

Paul didn't say a word. He let Haley do all the talking. "No, I forced him," Haley lied. Paul gave off a tiny smile, but no one noticed.

The girl blinked. "Oh," she said. "Well...I'm impressed."

"Why?"

"Paul is stubborn like a Tauros."

The mentioned teen twitched his eye. _Did that girl really just- _"And you would know that because...?"

"And you think you know him better?" the girl questioned. "We've met him twice."

"Good for you, I've been with him all week," Haley retorted calmly. Now the party of three was really confused. "Look, it's not any of your business, nor is it your place to judge. So unless you've got anything to say that I actually care about, I think we'll go."

"Actually, I have a question," the other male in their group stated. "Might you have an Eevee?"

"Well, she's an Umbreon now, but yeah, I did." Haley looked at him. "Why? Do you know me from somewhere?"

"Yeah Brock, do you really know her?" the girl asked.

Haley blinked. "Oh, Brock? As in, Pewter City's Gym Leader Brock?" she asked.

"It's been a while," Brock greeted with a smile. _I didn't even know he _was _a Gym Leader, _Paul thought. _Let's see, who did I actually fight? ... I think his name was Flint? Yeah, that was it. He did say something about taking over from his son...huh._

"I can't believe you even remember me!" Haley replied in surprise but with a smile as well.

The girl in the group looked at her friend. "How _do _you remember her?" she asked, both curious and suspicious.

"She was just a new Trainer, but her talents were amazing," Brock explained. "Her Eevee came really close to beating Geodude. To be honest even though she fainted, I was amazed at how she managed to fight for so long. Then Haley brought out her Squirtle and she wiped the floor with me." Ash looked sheepish, and Haley guessed his battle probably didn't go over so well. "And now you're here in Sinnoh," the former Gym Leader continued, his attention back on Haley. "Would you mind if we watch later today? I would like to see how you've grown."

Haley grinned. "Well...okay," she said, giggling. Paul was a little peeved but then again, it was _her _battle. She could choose who watched and who didn't. "Just so you know, Umbreon won't be participating, but I guess you can see my skills as a Trainer."

"That's fine by me," Brock said.

"Guess we'll see you later, then," Haley called happily before she and Paul walked off to the Pokémon Center.

"Did you really have to invite them?" Paul asked when they were out of earshot.

"Look, Brock's someone I respect," Haley told him. "And I didn't want to be rude. Though, I can see why that Ash kid annoys you. He's a little too upbeat and cheery and he's totally oblivious."

Paul decided to reuse his earlier response. "_Duh_," he stated, though this time there was a smile on his face.

Haley laughed. "Do you even see your face right now?" she asked. "It's hilarious. Not to mention the way you say it." She laughed again.

"Honestly, though, how did he not know it was a Rock type gym?" he questioned, going back to his stoic face. "He couldn't tell just by the exterior? Didn't do _any _research?"

"He doesn't look like the researching type."

Her partner snickered. "Right."

So the two waited at the Pokémon Center. Haley and Paul had their Pokémon healed up, and then the girl sat in the chair at the desk in their shared room to form a strategy. She was lost in thought, and Paul found her face somewhat amusing. And it became more amusing when she placed her feet at the edge of the desk and started rocking the chair back and forth. It stopped being amusing, however, when she pushed too far. "H-hey!" she exclaimed. The chair fell back, and she crashed onto the floor.

Paul cringed and stood up. "You all right?" he asked.

Haley grunted, rolling out of the fallen chair. "Yeah, just a little sore," she reported before picking herself up. "But! It _did _help clear my head! I think I know how I'm going to do this!"

"You are one of the strangest people I've met," Paul said before sitting back on his bed.

"I take that as a compliment, thank you," Haley replied. Paul smirked. He didn't want to hear her strategy, though; he wanted to _see _it. And Haley didn't say a word.

Around 12:30, the two walked back into the lobby, wanting to walk around. "Oh, Haley!" Nurse Joy called as she ran over. Both teens looked at her as the woman caught up with them. "Ian called. He said Roark just returned."

"Sweet!" Haley exclaimed. "I am _so _ready for this! Paul, are you going to stay or come and watch?"

Paul smirked. "Hmph. Don't think those three are going to keep me away," he replied.

"Good!"

With her Pokémon healed and herself full of determination and energy, she and Paul made their way back. The automatic doors opened for them. "Oh, there's Haley," Ian said as the doors closed. "She's your first challenger." The older teen with the hard hat turned around, as did Ash and his friends. "And the boy next to her is Paul, your second, though I assume you'll battle him tomorrow." Ash locked angry eyes with Paul, who returned with just his same I-give-no-fucks glance before looking at the Gym Leader.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," Roark said, walking up to the duo. Though he figured they knew, he decided to introduce himself anyway. "I'm Roark, the Gym Leader. It's nice to meet you."

"The same here," both of them replied.

"So why don't we get started, then?" Roark insisted.

"Of course!" Haley exclaimed. Her body was tingling with excitement. Man, she loved gym battles! They made your heart race and got your blood flowing and she felt like every sense in her body was heightened. Roark walked off, presumably towards the battlefield, with Haley and Paul tagging behind them.

"Can't wait to see a gym battle!" the girl in Ash's group exclaimed.

Everyone (excluding Paul since he didn't care) turned to her in surprise. "You've _never _seen one?" Roark asked.

"No!" she replied with a smile. "And hearing about how good of a rookie Trainer Haley was, I'm even _more _excited! I want to learn everything about them that I can!"

"Well, that's fine by me," Roark said. "Hey-"

"They already know my answer, it's totally cool," Haley stated. Then she eyed Paul, wanting absolute confirmation that he was okay.

Paul looked back at the group. "No prob," he told everyone. Then he began to walk off. "I really couldn't care less."

They walked onto the battlefield. The spectators went to the bleachers, Ian took to the referee platform, and the battlers took their sides. The ceiling opened up to let in the sunlight and illuminate the rocky battlefield. The girl, who in their short walk Haley had learned her name was Dawn, was scanning the Gym with eager eyes. Brock, meanwhile, was explaining that all Gyms were different, and that this one obviously had Rock type Pokémon in mind. Ash and Paul were both silent, since all Ash could think about was how awesome this battle might be, and Paul just had nothing to say. "The Oreburgh City Gym battle between Haley the challenger and Roark the Gym Leader is about to get under way!" Ian announced. "The battle will be a 3-on-3, and when all three Pokémon on either side are unable to continue the challenge will be over! In addition, only the challenger may substitute Pokémon!"

"Hey guys, ready to see me rock this place?" Haley joked.

"You have _got _to stop with the puns," Paul stated, rolling his eyes.

"It's what I do!" his partner replied.

Roark smiled. He liked challengers that had a sense of humor and didn't let their nervousness and/or excitement get the better of them. But what he loved even better, and what Haley was demonstrating, was the serious look they gave in their eyes when those five words were uttered.

"Now let the battle begin!"


	3. Chapter 3: Something's Up My Sleeve

With determination in their eyes, both battlers threw the Poké Balls, and in beams of light they appeared on the field.

Roark's first Pokémon: Geodude.

Haley's first Pokémon: Monferno.

Just looking at the field, Paul had a slight idea of what Haley's plan would be. Rock types were weak to Fighting type moves, yet they had high physical defense. Monferno was probably going to be used to whittle away as much strength as he could with Mach Punch. That move increased his speed when he used it, doubling his already incredible speed. Paul liked watching the days when Haley's Chimchar was training his speed, more so after he had evolved.

Now it was time to put all of that to the test.

Haley made no hesitations in calling out the first attack, and as Paul predicted, it was Mach Punch. Monferno's hand glowed white and with a powerful push from his legs sprang at the Rock Pokémon. He was so fast he landed a clean punch without any resistance since the attack was too fast for Roark to even counter. But after Geodude quickly recovered, Roark quickly commanded his own move. "Use Rollout!" Geodude spun, almost looking like a wheel of a racecar, and flew at its opponent.

"Mach Punch!" Haley ordered. The right hand glowed white again, but instead of attacking Geodude head-on, Monferno punched the ground, disturbing the already rocky terrain. The disturbance caused Geodude to be launched into the air uncontrollably, and in that instance Haley call Monferno back. "Turtwig, let's move it!" She threw the Poké Ball, and as soon as Turtwig popped out, he knew what to do. Seeing the Rock-Ground type up in the air, just now curling out of its uncontrollable spin, Turtwig swung his head left, and launched a Razor Leaf. The attack landed a direct hit, and being quadruple effective and already weakened, Geodude came crashing down, fainted.

"Geodude is unable to battle," Ian declared. "Which means Turtwig is the winner!"

Roark couldn't help but marvel. He took out Geodude's Poké Ball. "Good job, buddy," he muttered to himself, smiling. He recalled it. "I'm impressed," he stated to Haley. "You used Monferno's speed to halt my Geodude's, and then went for his weakness when he couldn't defend himself."

"I like catching my opponents off guard," Haley replied as she recalled her Tiny Leaf Pokémon. _That's true, _Paul recalled. _She loved throwing surprises my way and doing something unexpected...but that still doesn't explain...no, this isn't the time for that. _He watched as Haley brought Monferno back out. _So he really is there just as bait, _Paul concluded. _But can she pull it off a second time? And if she does, can she pull it off a third?_

"So you're trying the same thing?" Roark questioned. "I welcome you to try, but I don't know how well it will work this time. Onix, let's go!" He threw out another Poké Ball, and out of the beam of light emerged the Rock Snake Pokémon, letting out a mighty roar.

"Monferno, use Leer!" Haley ordered, trying to lower her opponent's defenses.

But Roark had a counter to that. "Screech!" Onix opened its mouth, and sound waves came out, disrupting Monferno and causing him to put hands up to his ears. Haley had to do the same, and Paul found that very strange. At most a Screech would cause a human to be pushed back by the power, but the actual sound was only something a Pokémon could hear. Or...maybe humans could. He had never been on the receiving end of a Screech, and maybe someone with sensitive ears could have slight irritation. His curiosity declined, replaced with the thought of, _So now what? _"Stealth Rock!" Roark ordered next.

Haley flinched. "Monferno, Mach Punch, quickly!" Shaking the Screech off, Monferno followed orders and hit Onix in the face. "Keep going! Don't let him pull off that attack!" The playful chimp, now completely serious, landed punch after punch after punch, in hopes of making his opponent faint before he could pull off Stealth Rock.

"Grab it by your tail, Onix!" Roark shouted. The rock snake lashed his tail at Monferno, getting him in a bind and squeezing him.

"Try to break free, and quick!"

But it was too late for that. Roark had already ordered the attack, and now rocks had sunk into the battlefield. "Now, how do you plan on continuing your little strategy if your Pokémon get hurt each time they're sent in?" Roark asked.

At the same time Monferno finally wiggled one of his arms out and punched, making Onix release him and jumped back, never taking his eyes off of his opponent. Haley, meanwhile, was thinking if she really should continue. Monferno looked back at her, but in a way where he could still see Onix out of the corner of his eye. "Mon-Monfer," he told her, nodding his head.

Haley stared at him, and then nodded as well, taking out his Poké Ball. "We'll still take the chance!" she announced, causing everyone to be shocked. Everyone except Paul, who smirked at her bravery. "You've only caused a set back, Roark, and my Pokémon and I have dealt with set backs before. Besides..." She smiled. "No pain no gain, right?"

Roark got over his shock and chuckled a little as she recalled the chimp again. "You have guts," he stated. "That, along with those tricks of yours and your trust towards your Pokémon...I can see how you've come so far."

"And we're only going to go farther!" Haley exclaimed. "Piplup, time to shine!" She threw the Poké Ball, and out came the proud little Pokémon.

"Pip-lup!" he cried, puffing his chest. Of course, Stealth Rock took effect, and soon unavoidable stones flew at him. "Pip-Pip-lup!" The stones crashed into him, and then disappeared a second later.

"Come on, Piplup, shake it off!" Haley encouraged. "That was nothing!" The penguin shook his body, and raised a fin, signaling he was ready. "Good!"

"Onix, use Slam!" With great speed, Onix lunged towards Piplup and went to slam down his tail.

"On his back!" Piplup dodged the tail, and then used the rocks that were flying as platforms to jump onto Onix's back. "Bubble!"

"Shake it off!" But Piplup was quicker and unleashed water bubbles from his mouth, causing Onix to wiggle in pain, and then slump to the floor, fainted.

"Onix is unable to battle, which mean Piplup is the winner!"

As Haley expected, that stroked her Pokémon's ego, and he puffed his chest out. "Just because you won buddy, doesn't mean this is over," she told him. Piplup blinked, and then looked down at the ground. "Now come on back." Piplup began to argue with her. "This is not a debatable issue, you piece of fluff!" Paul had to let out a chuckle.

"Geez, and I thought _my _Piplup was a pain," Dawn mumbled. The group watched as Haley recalled the proud penguin, ignoring his protests.

"But still, her Pokémon are awesome!" Ash exclaimed. "Don't you think so, Paul?"

For once, Paul had to agree. There was a difference between battling and watching, and the show he was watching was quite the spectacle. Still, he didn't want to admit that he agreed, so he simply shrugged. "She's okay, I guess," he said.

"That's all?!" Ash yelled. "But she's your friend!"

"Who ever said we were friends?" Paul replied. And in a way that was true. Not even he or Haley knew what to call their relationship. Partners? Acquaintances? He didn't know. "Our relationship is none of your business anyway, so why don't you just shut up and watch?" Paul heard his rival growl, but he paid no mind.

Out on the field, Roark was calling out his final Pokémon. "Cranidos, you're up!" he exclaimed and threw its Poké Ball. Haley's new opponent popped out and let out a cry.

"This is it," she muttered. She clutched Monferno's Poké Ball, as if it were her lifeline. "Monferno, time to shine once more!" she shouted. Monferno was once again on the battlefield, and immediately tensed up when the rocks hit him. Being in two battles already, Monferno was a little tired, but he wanted to keep going. He wanted to fight. And Haley wasted no time in letting him. "Mach Punch, and to his knees!" she ordered. Monferno flew.

"Zen Headbutt!" Cranidos charged.

Haley let out a squeak. "Keep that Mach Punch up, but start dodging!" Monferno began jumping all over, using the extra speed to help evade the opponent that just wouldn't give up. _Come on, look for an opening...THERE! _Monferno lunged and punched, but Cranidos moved to the side, only getting its torso nicked. _NO! _Yet there was nothing the challenger's side could do. Cranidos' shining head slammed down onto Monferno, and when the chimp bounced back up from the impact, his opponent head butted him again, sending him flying right towards the bleachers. Paul stood up and stabled himself, catching the flying chimp and looked down at him.

Haley's first Pokémon had fainted.

"Monferno is unable to battle, which means Cranidos is the winner!"

The girl ran to the bleachers, calling Monferno's name. Paul, with a slight pain in his chest, managed to get to the first row and hop down onto the floor. At this point, Monferno woke up. "Nice to see you awake, buddy," Haley said softly. Monferno gave a weak smile and nodded slowly.

Paul gave off a tiny smile. "You were quite the trooper," he said so quietly only the three of them heard it.

"He's right. Now get some rest." Haley took out his Poké Ball and summoned him back in. "Thanks for the catch."

Her partner nodded. Then he walked past her so he could get back to the stairs. "I hope you plan on continuing rather than just standing there," he stated.

Haley smiled. "Like I would give up just like that." Paul smirked.

Back on her side, Haley sent out Turtwig again. Stealth Rock activated once more, but the Grass type wasted no time, immediately using Razor Leaf after the rocks disappeared. Roark decided to pull out a surprise of his own. "Flamethrower!" he announced.

"What?!" all five of the kids exclaimed. Not even Paul knew this. Cranidos released a flame from its mouth and scorched not only the leaves but also the poor unsuspecting Turtwig. He braced himself, but that could do so much against a super effective move, and it didn't prevent the nasty side effect: burn.

With her Pokémon now getting whittled away by the burn, she decided to use the little time she had left wisely. "Absorb!" she ordered. It was pointless to get that health back; it would almost instantly be taken away, but Haley just wanted to weaken Cranidos as much as possible. A red beam shot from Turtwig's leaf and hit his opponent, and some of Cranidos' energy was transferred to the Tiny Leaf Pokémon. But as soon as that was done, burn took effect again, undoing the attack. And right after burn was done, Cranidos charged in with a Headbutt and sent Turtwig flying past Haley. He hit the wall and fell to the floor.

Pokémon number 2 was down and out.

Haley grunted as she recalled her fainted Pokémon as Ian called out Cranidos as the winner again. She swapped Turtwig's Poké Ball for Piplup's and sighed. "He's going to boast about this, I know it," she mumbled. "But I don't want to lose just so he doesn't." She inhaled and then let it go. "Okay Piplup, time to shine again!" The penguin was out once more, and he cried out again as Stealth Rock activated for the last time.

Both sides had one Pokémon left.

"Cranidos, Headbutt!" Roark ordered.

"Dodge, Piplup!" Haley shouted.

The proud penguin jumped out of the way of Cranidos' charges. Haley's opponent also swiped his claws at Piplup in between Headbutts. The blue Pokémon was just quick enough to barely dodge the ferocious attacks. He even got a small scratch but didn't dare let the slight stinging sensation slow him down. Then Piplup jumped behind a two-foot tall and three-foot thick rock. But Roark wasn't fazed by such an action. "Destroy it!" he shouted. Cranidos smashed the rock, lifted his head, and then suddenly everything went into slow motion for the Rock type. He looked at Piplup, who was standing there with his fins stretched out, smirking, as the shattered remains of the rock fell. Cranidos' eyes widened.

This had all been planned.

"Freeze!" Haley ordered. Piplup opened his beak and flapped his fins, and a cold wind carrying beautiful sparkling blue snow followed, but Cranidos knew that the beauty hid something dangerous. He braced himself as he was hit by the blast. Soon, the wind subsided, but left a now shivering and slowed down Cranidos in its wake.

Roark was shocked. "Was that-"

"Icy Wind!" his challenger boasted. "I forgot to mention, this Piplup was bred by my uncle, so he has moves you wouldn't normally see on a Piplup. It's great for me!" She giggled. Then she gave off a slightly evil grin and her face darkened. "Terrible for you," she continued hauntingly. "Looks like Cranidos won't be speeding off any time soon."

Paul had to admit, he was impressed. This girl was just pulling surprises seemingly out of thin air. He was glad he had decided to tag along with her; she was fun to watch.

"Shake it off, buddy!" Roark encouraged.

Haley snickered. "Oh he can shake all the ice off he wants," she retorted as Cranidos did just that. "But the result is the same. His speed has been lowered, and now I say it's our turn to take the offensive. Piplup, close range Bubble!"

"Get away!" the Gym Leader called. Cranidos began to jump away, never taking his eyes off of Piplup, who was shooting an endless stream of bubbles. But his decrease in speed allow Piplup to get closer than he had liked, and Cranidos was so focused on the penguin that he didn't notice the rock come up fast. He smashed into it, and before he could recover he was hit with what Haley had ordered: a close range Bubble attack. And when the bubbles disappeared...well...what do you think happens when a weakened Rock type gets hit dead on with a Water type attack?

"Cranidos is unable to battle," Ian stated. "Which means the winner is Piplup!" The referee's left hand pointed at Haley. "And the victor is Haley!"

"What else did you expect?" Haley asked, though she had dropped the serious attitude and had gone back to her more bubbly ways, so the statement sounded cocky. Piplup, meanwhile, was cheering and jumping up and down in celebration.

Roark blinked and then sighed, though it was content and he had a smile on his face. "Cranidos, return," he said, recalling the fainted Pokémon. "You did awesome," he spoke. The Gym Leader placed the Poké Ball back onto his belt and walked up to Haley. "I'm very impressed," Roark told his victorious challenger. "You had many surprises to throw me off, not to mention that you had full trust in your Pokémon." Paul resisted rolling his eyes.

"I just believe in my abilities as a Trainer that I toughened them up enough to take anything," Haley replied. Piplup puffed his chest again, which caused his Trainer to form yet another sweat drop.

The Gym Leader chuckled at the proud Pokémon. "All the same, I feel honored in awarding you this." He dug into his pocket and showed her a brown badge shaped like a boulder with a Poké Ball symbol in the middle. "This is the Coal Badge. Take it, you earned it."

Haley took the small piece of metal and held it up, moving it back and forth so the light from the sun made it gleam. She let something that sounded like a cross between a chuckle and a giggle, and then flicked the badge into the air like a coin. It spun as it flew up, and halfway down Haley snatched it. "Pip, Pip, lup!" the penguin cheered.

His Trainer laughed. "You've gotten a lot better," Brock stated as he and his friends walked up to her. Paul, meanwhile, was leaning against the wall, waiting for her to finish. Haley turned her attention to the three. "Of course," the former Gym Leader continued, "I expected nothing less."

"Thanks, Brock," Haley replied, beaming.

"Your Pokémon were amazing!" Ash exclaimed, looking pumped. "That battle was so awesome!"

"Still, how could you be so cruel?" Dawn inquired with a slight irritated look on her face.

Haley blinked while Piplup tilted his head. "Cruel?" she repeated.

"Pip...lup?" the Pokémon added.

"You intentionally let your Pokémon get hurt just so you could win!" Dawn accused. "And poor Monferno! It was just used as bait!"

The victor stared at her accuser. "First off, about Monferno," Haley began, "he _agreed _to it. I would _never _use my Pokémon as bait without consent. Second, as I said before, I believed in my Pokémon and I knew they could handle Stealth Rock. And as I said before, no pain no gain."

"That's all that is to you?!" Dawn snapped, not believing what she was hearing.

"Well then, missy, explain how _you _train _your _Pokémon," Haley snapped back. "What, do they just roll around in the grass and suddenly they become stronger? If they don't fight and they don't struggle just a little, then they aren't growing. The world isn't just sunshine and rainbows."

"I treat my Pokémon with love and care, and I don't push them more than they have to be," Dawn retorted, holding back anger. "I'm a Coordinator."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Because Coordinators are _soooo _different from regular Trainers," she said sarcastically. "Your Pokémon still battle, you know. They still have to be strong."

"At least I'm not cruel!" She huffed. "No wonder you and Paul get along. You both treat your Pokémon with no respect."

The older female glared. "I'll ask again, _what do you know about either of us?_" Haley hissed, each word oozing with venom. "Neither of us are cruel. Harsh, maybe, but _not _cruel. There's a difference."

"Because all you care about is power!" Dawn accused. "You probably don't think of your Pokémon as friends, either!"

_That _struck a nerve. "Why you little bi-" Paul, who had been slowly walking over when he saw the situation beginning to worsen, put a hand on Haley's shoulder. The girl whipped her head to see who dared to interrupt her but then when she saw it was Paul, Haley's face soften slightly.

"They obviously aren't going to listen to," he said. He couldn't believe that, for once in his life, he was being the voice of reason. "Let's go. They aren't worth your time." Haley glared at Dawn once more and growled before spinning her feet and walked towards the door.

"Hey Paul," Ash piped up. Paul turned his attention to him. "May we watch your battle as well?"

Paul was about to reject, but then Haley interrupted him. "If he's asking, it means they have nothing better to do," she stated. Her annoyance levels were dropping, but Paul knew from her tone that they hadn't fully disappeared. "Let them come. Ash might learn even more for his upcoming battle." Then she turned her head and glared at the Coordinator. "But keep _her _as far away from me as possible if you do allow them to watch."

The boy stood there in silence. Then he turned to walk to the door as well. "Fine," he said. "Like I said, I really could care less." The partners opened the door to the hallway.

"You can be sure I'll be watching you guys battle!" Ash called after them, sounding a little pissed.

Paul grunted, but only Haley heard it as the two made their way out of the Gym. The walk back to the Pokémon Center was silent, until an annoyed grunt came from Haley. Paul looked at her out of the corner of his eye. He had never seen her so riled up. "Just let it go," he advised, closing his eyes. "She doesn't know you, so her accusations shouldn't bother you."

"But it's the fact that she would make such accusations _without knowing me _that pisses me off to no end!" Haley exclaimed. "And that's they second time she's made some claim about you when in all reality she hasn't seen you outside of battling."

"To be fair," Paul replied with a smirk on his face, "I haven't exactly given them good impressions. Not that I care."

"I know you don't. I didn't need to be with you for a week to know you don't care about other people's opinions."

Haley's partner slowed down just a tad, not that the girl noticed. He watched Haley walk and thought back to the argument the two girls had. Paul realized Haley had been defending him. Only Reggie had done that. He smiled. _I care about certain people's opinions, though, _he thought. _And yours is one of them. _He couldn't believe how much he had come to respect her, and in such a short amount of time. "So what are we going to do now?" he asked as they entered the Pokémon Center.

The girl tilted her head. "I think I'm going to wash my clothes and take a shower," she stated. "And I guess you can explore the city or train."

Paul stopped. "Wait, do you have extra clothes while you wait for those ones to be washed?"

Haley turned to look at him. "Yeah, my pjs. Why?"

He shrugged. "Just checking," he replied. "Guess I'll see you later, then. Enjoy." He turned to exit the building he had just entered and decided to go train for the next day.


	4. Chapter 4: Who's The Better Trainer?

**A/N: Unless the episode(s) are important for character development, they will be skipped. As such, if you want to see the full fight between Paul and Roark, go to DP015 and skip to about 7 minutes in. And the full fight between Ash and Roark is in DP016, about 8:50 or so. I mean, if it's already there, why do it again? So...yeah.**

* * *

><p>Haley watched as Paul's Chimchar was getting knocked around. Her already tight fists became even tighter. Of course, that was making her knuckles white and pain shoot up her left hand like no one's business. <em>Come on, Chimchar! You can do it! <em>she encouraged in her head.

Meanwhile, Paul looked agitated. _Will you stop flinching?! _he shouted. Damn Zen Headbutt and its stupid side effect. Damn it to hell with no return trip. And then, just when Paul had lost hope in the Chimp Pokémon, he began to glow with an orange aura. For the first time in front of rival, Paul actually gave off a real happy grin, not that Ash noticed. The kid was too focused on the aura surrounding Chimchar. As was Roark, who gasped. Of course, that grin didn't stay for long, replaced with an oh-so familiar smirk. "I was waiting for this," Paul announced.

"For what?" Ash asked.

_Blaze, _Haley thought. _But...why would Paul wait for something that only works when Chimchar is close to fainting? Unless it's...special...oh...OOOHHH. _Roark didn't stay stunned for long. "Zen Headbutt again!" he ordered without skipping a beat. Cranidos charged.

But now Paul had a way to counter. He just hoped this was _the _Blaze he was looking for. "Now, Flame Wheel!" he commanded. Chimchar ran and then curled up into a fiery wheel, moving faster than normal. Quickly Paul thought back to Haley's battle. He remembered how she had tried aiming for the legs with Mach Punch. He figured he should do the same. "Aim for the legs!" Chimchar spun and hit Cranidos right on the kneecap. The Rock type let out a cry, while his Trainer gasped once more. Cranidos stood up, although he was a bit shaky. Still, it wasn't enough. Blaze _had _given the chimp a speed boost, but what Paul was looking for was the power. And once again, it was missing. He kept going, though. "Flame Wheel, Chimchar, once more!" Chimchar repeated the motions and hit the legs again. Confident that his opponent's speed was lowered enough thanks to his knee injuries, Paul decided on a move that seemed to fail him for most of the fight. "Chimchar, use Dig, let's go!" Chimchar jumped back into the ground.

_Again with using the same moves, _Haley thought. _Variety is the spice of life. Come on, you have to throw him off guard. _Her thoughts were interrupted when Roark ordered, "Cranidos, Focus Energy now!" The girl watched as the Rock type focused again. If Chimchar wasn't careful, this would be it. Chimchar dug out of the ground, pushing Cranidos up as he did so. His opponent went flying, but Roark didn't get fazed by this. "Use Headbutt!" Cranidos recovered in midair and began to sail towards Chimchar like a comet. The air didn't require the use of his legs, so he was just as fast as before Chimchar hit him with two Flame Wheels. When Paul ordered his Pokémon to dodge, there just wasn't enough time to do so, and Cranidos hit Chimchar dead on.

Paul was now down two Pokémon.

"Chimchar is unable to battle!" Ian stated. "Cranidos wins!"

The challenger now had a scowl on his face. He couldn't believe Chimchar had lost. He recalled the fallen Pokémon and stared at the Poké Ball. "Chimchar, I'll deal with you later," he promised.

Up in the bleachers, Haley noticed Paul's frustration and that he had said something to the Poké Ball, but she didn't catch what. _Well, I know one thing for sure; Paul really, really, REALLY wants _something _out of Chimchar. _She sighed. _Guess I'll find out later. _She continued to watch as Paul called Elekid out again. The Electric type took the Stealth Rock, but just like Haley's Pokémon he shook it off. Haley's eyes began to dart back and forth as the two battlers exchanged blows, growing increasingly tired. The battle would be over soon; Elekid was worn out from the fight with Onix, and Cranidos' knee hurt even more thanks to a punch Elekid had given him. Finally, Roark ordered a Zen Headbutt and Paul decided to match it with a Brick Break. The two attacks landed, causing quite the explosion. If the two Pokémon didn't already look tired, they sure did now. They wobbled, obviously about to topple to the ground at any second. But Elekid had a stronger will and apparently more stamina, because the only one who fell was Cranidos.

"Cranidos is unable to battle!" Ian declared. "Elekid wins! The victor is Paul!"

Paul didn't smile, nor did he celebrate. It just wasn't his thing. He just simply said, "Okay, Elekid, return," and did just that.

Meanwhile, Roark recalled his Pokémon with some encouraging words. "That was some impressive battling, Paul," the Gym Leader stated. He walked up to Ian, who handed him a small tray. "And here's your Oreburgh Gym Badge," he continued, showing it to his victorious challenger. "Congratulations, Paul." Paul couldn't help but smirk internally at the fact that Roark had simply fished the prize out of his pocket for Haley rather than hand it to her on a silver platter...so to speak.

"Thank you very much, Roark," he stated, grabbing the badge. He put it in his pocket. "I'll see you," he added, although he was pretty sure that was a lie. Paul would probably never see the Gym Leader again-

"Where're you going?" Ash asked, sounding slightly competitive. _Fucking Arceus, what now? _But despite his urge (and probably what was the better option) to just keep walking, he stopped and turned his head.

"Hmm?"

"Aren't you going to stay to watch _my _battle?" A silence fell over everyone. Paul resisted the urge to scrunch his face up in disgust, and Haley just looked on as she stood next to her partner. She had a feeling she shouldn't voice her opinion until one was needed. The girl was expecting Paul to reject right away, but what he actually did kind of surprised her: he smirked and chuckled. Haley waited for Ash's reaction to the response, and again she was surprised: the naïve, happy-go-lucky boy rolled his eyes. He then ran up a bit. "What's so funny?" he inquired.

Paul turned his whole body to face the younger male, still smirking. "That you want me to watch you lose," he stated.

"What?!" Ash exclaimed.

Dawn and Pikachu skidded in between the two boys, their arms held out. "Alright, time...out!" she shouted. Now Haley rolled her eyes. If she was so into keeping the peace, where was this yesterday? _Clearly, it was off participating in a contest, _she thought. Dawn turned her head to Paul. "You've already battled Ash once," she continued. _Actually, twice, _Paul thought. "Why _not _stay and watch?" Paul looked at her with a blank, uncaring expression. He was thinking some similar to what Haley was, wondering why the Coordinator had lashed out yesterday and now wanted to make sure no fighting broke out. Not to mention her accusations against Haley had bothered him, mostly because Haley barely calmed down until she fell asleep, tired from her Gym Battle. Dawn's face grew slightly confused as Paul continued to look at her without a word. "Wh-what's wrong?" she asked.

Paul was trying to think of a response, and he decided to go with the one he had used yesterday for two reasons: one, he didn't like her, especially not after the stunt she pull and two (most importantly and slightly embarrassing)...

He barely even remembered her name.

"What's wrong?" he repeated. "Who are you?"

A volcano erupted. "Excuse me, rudeness, but we met once before!" she shouted. _Again, twice, _Paul repeated. "The name's Dawn!"

The older boy continued to give the same expression. _Oh yeah, that was it, _he thought. _Still don't like her. Just keep up the charade. _"Don't remember," he said calmly.

Now there was a supernova. Haley quickly leaned over to whisper, "Okay, that might have been a little cold," before Dawn totally let loose.

"You think you're funny, don'tcha!" she shouted even louder and even more angry. "Listen, mister!" Brock quickly ran over and picked her up, but that didn't stop her from kicking and yelling some more. "You nasty, insulting, spoiled brat! Apologize!"

Paul did his best not to explode himself and tell her he was the _farthest _thing away from being a spoiled brat, but he managed to keep calm. Meanwhile, Roark calmly walked over. "You're welcome to stay," he said, though it sounded slightly (_very _slightly) nervous.

The victor smirked again and closed his eyes. "With that enthusiasm, how can I refuse?" he replied, though it had a hint of sarcasm.

"Good!" Ash exclaimed with determination. "And I'm going to show you a whole new style of battling!" The kid turned to Roark. "Whenever you're ready, Roark, I am!"

Roark blinked but gave a smile anyway. "Ash, would you mind terribly if...we had our battle tomorrow?" the Gym Leader asked. Now Ash blinked. "You know, my Pokémon and I just went through some serious battling, and to tell you the truth, we're exhausted."

Ash, once again, didn't seem to mind the delay and just smiled. "I hear ya," he replied. "Hey, tomorrow will be just fine."

The Gym Leader was replying, but Haley was focused on other things. "Wait, so we have to stay _another _day?" she asked Paul, hoping that slight sarcasm was the truth.

"You're free to leave, but it's clear I'm wanted here," Paul told her, opening one eye slightly to look at her. Haley just huffed and crossed her arms. Suddenly he felt a glare, and he moved his attention away from Haley to lock eyes with Ash. He chuckled again, and without another word, turned and began to walk away. His partner, still a little ticked that their journey was delayed one more day, followed.

"So what now?" she asked.

"Now?" Paul took out a Poké Ball and glared at it. "Now I give _this _to someone else."

"Azumarill?"

Paul growled a bit. "Did you _see_ it? Absolutely worthless. I would have been fine if it-"

"She."

"Do I look like I care at the moment? Anyway, if _she..._" He rolled his eyes. "Had landed one, just _one _attack, I would have been fine, but no. She missed, and then was down in two hits. _Two_!"

"Torterra went down in three when you and I fought," Haley pointed out.

"At least he landed an attack, and Umbreon is skilled, you and I both know it," he informed.

Haley sighed. There was no way she was winning. "Fine, we'll find some kid who's looking for a Water type," she caved in. "Shouldn't be too hard since there will be challengers looking for an advantage."

Back at the Pokémon Center, the two found a young boy, who wasn't actually a challenger, but he liked Azumarill and always wanted one, so he was more than happy to receive her. And Azumarill didn't mind the change in ownership since she couldn't keep up with Paul's style of training anyway. Then Paul gave the other two Pokémon to Chansey and had Nurse Joy's assistant put the Poké Balls into the machine. To pass the time, the partners got themselves lunch. "Salads," Paul stated as he finished said dish. "When there isn't anything else to get."

Haley giggled slightly. "I knew there was a funny bone somewhere," she said. Paul grunted in amusement. "Speaking of funny, did you really forget Dawn's name?"

"Kind of," he admitted. "But I also just don't like her."

"It's the same old jokes with you," Haley half sighed, half chuckled as she tore into her sandwich.

Paul smirked. "You know me." Haley waved her hand, which Paul had learned meant, "Yeah, yeah." He then saw the Chansey behind the counter, waving at him. "Hold on, I'll be back." He got out of the booth and went to pick up the two Poké Balls. As he walked back he noticed Ash and his four Pokémon. Apparently he was trying to decide on whom to use, though Paul knew that Staravia would be the one who got X'ed. He might have found the scene amusing, if he was five, but he continued to watch anyway. He finally found interest when Brock pointed out that the most important factor of his battle was his speed.

Ash crossed his arms, thinking. "So do I," he agreed. "Thing is, what do we do?"

The recent victor smirked. Maybe he could finally knock some much needed sense into his rival, so he decided to intervene. "Now that should be a no brainer," he stated, walking up to them. "Just imitate me."

The group turned to him. Haley, who had finished her lunch, wondered what was taking Paul so long. She stood up slightly and turned around. When she saw the four she frowned. "Oh boy," she sighed. But she decided to watch for now.

"I'd never do what you do!" Ash shot back. "I wouldn't force Chimchar to battle the way you did for a million bucks!"

Paul sneered. _Rejecting my advice. Typical. _He heard footsteps running towards him. "Hey, wow!" It was the kid from before. Paul turned to him, and the kid flashed Azumarill's Poké Ball. "Thanks again for the Azumarill, mister!" he exclaimed. "We'll train real hard, so see ya!" The kid ran off once more, and Paul held up a hand. A slight wave, you would say.

Of course, Ash wasn't too happy with the small scene that just took place. "You gave him Azumarill?" he asked in disgust.

His rival turned to him again. "Yeah, so?"

"Cause it _lost_?" Ash continued, even more disgusted.

"That's as good as that Azumarill's gonna get," Paul informed.

"_I _thought it was your friend," Ash snapped. "You could have kept trainin, ya know?"

"No, that one was a lost cause," his rival replied calmly.

"I don't get you," the younger boy stated.

"And _I _thought you wanted to win," Paul shot back, his eyes narrowing.

Ash gasped but quickly recovered. "I do!" he insisted. "But not the way _you _do."

Paul figured Azumarill wasn't the only lost cause. Haley, seeing that this conversation was ending, joined him. "So are you done here?" she asked. Paul looked at her and turned for the door.

"Why do you keep following him?" Ash asked. "He's not your friend, and he'll never think of you as such!"

"I don't know about that last part," Haley replied. "But I do have to agree with you on the first. For once, you're right." The gang was shocked. "We're partners, not friends." She walked after the purple-haired boy. "Though I might inform you if such information changes." And with that the door closed behind them.

"Must you tell them things that aren't their business?" Paul asked.

"I don't like hearing the same question twice," she told him. "If I didn't answer, he'd probably keep asking. So..." She ran ahead and then walked backwards, looking at him. "Apparently there's a fossil museum. We have a whole day to kill, you know."

Paul was about to protest, since he wanted to deal with Chimchar and his lackluster battling, but the whole day wouldn't be wasted there, and he knew it.

Because Haley knew him too well.

...

This time, Haley had company when watching someone getting knocked around. But when Paul got up, she figured she would be alone for the rest of the match. That was, until Pikachu suddenly stood up and let out a Thunderbolt. He didn't want Paul to leave, not just yet, oh no.

Pikachu still had fight in him.

Paul walked back next to Haley and sat down again. "They don't give up on trying to prove you wrong," Haley stated.

"To my dismay," Paul replied. "And yet, I'll be honest, I'm curious."

They watched as Pikachu performed a Quick Attack. "I'll be honest, too," the girl began. "Ash is going to lose."

Her partner sneered. But before he could respond, Roark ordered Head Smash. He gave off a serious look. "So Roark learned that move after all," he noted.

"It sounds powerful," Haley commented.

"It is, but it causes recoil."

Haley leaned forward a bit, resting her arms on the railing. "I don't like those moves. Too much of a risk."

Paul didn't reply. "If you're going for it, then we're going for it!" Ash exclaimed. "Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!"

"Pathetic strategy," Paul commented. "He must be desperate."

"He has been the entire time," Haley said. Paul eyed her as the two recoil moves clashed, causing an explosion of power. Haley let the wind die down before continuing. "You're probably wondering why I say that," she said. "It goes back to what I was saying about him going to lose this match."

Again, Paul sneered. "I thought that was obvious," he stated, finally getting his comment out.

"It has nothing to do with your opinion on how weak or strong he is," Haley replied as Ash switched Turtwig for Pikachu. "He's too focused on showing you up."

"Are you serious?" Paul asked in surprise, facing her.

She nodded slowly. "His body language and eyes tell all," she explained. "Watch. Subconsciously, he looks at you from time to time. He's wondering if you're still watching and what you think." Paul now had all eyes on the challenger rather than the fight. And right now, Turtwig was running towards Cranidos, going in to use Bite.

"Oh my," Roark commented with a smile. "That just might be the fastest Turtwig I've ever seen."

Paul took a quick glance. "I hate to admit it, but Turtwig's speed really improved," he mumbled. But right after that observation he went back to watching the Pokémon's Trainer.

"Remember that promise he made before the match began, saying he would show you 'real battling'?" Haley continued as if no comment had interrupted them. "He wants to make sure you see it, and that's taking his focus off of what's in front of him."

Paul thought she must have been joking. Even Ash wasn't that stupid. But right before Ash ordered the Razor Leaf that knocked Cranidos out, he saw it. For just a split second, Ash's brown eyes darted over to his rival and then back to the fight. Paul couldn't believe what he had just seen. "Is he that dense?" he hissed as Roark recalled the fainted Cranidos. "Is that why it took all three of his Pokémon to take Cranidos down?"

Another slow nod. "And Roark has two Pokémon that are well prepared while Ash has two that are worn out," she added. "Do you see now? It has nothing to do with his strength; if he were focused but still losing, I would say that's the problem, but this is a factor that makes judging him unfair."

"Tch, this is ridiculous," Paul stated. "But I'm surprised you noticed it. I didn't until you brought it up."

"I told you before, I have sharp eyes." _To see all that? Those eyes must be sharper than a Scyther's arms. _

"Okay, Paul, watch this!" Ash suddenly exclaimed, proving Haley's point to pretty much everyone now (not that anyone else but Roark had an idea that Ash was unfocused). Paul just let out a "hmph".

The battle continued. Turtwig was knocked by Onix very quickly, and it was clear Pikachu was struggling. Paul admitted to himself that using Thunderbolt to ravage the field was smart, but Onix countered with Screech, which required no movement. Paul knew this was it, and so he focused his attention on Haley's strange reaction, which was her face scrunching up and her hands twitching. "Something wrong?" he asked.

"I have...sensitive ears," she replied. _Those must be _really _sensitive ears, _Paul thought. He heard Pikachu crash into some rocks. When the dust cleared, he was standing, looking like he was okay. But only mere seconds later he fell to the ground, fainted.

Haley's prediction had come true.

Seeing no point in staying, Paul got up to leave, with Haley following, her ears slightly ringing. Ash, who had a tired Pikachu in his arms, noticed the two walking to the door. He stood up, and Paul heard him mumble something. In response, Paul turned his head slightly.

...

The partners were now on their way towards Jubilife City. Haley wanted to battle the Eterna Gym, and Paul wanted to go to a city west of it called Diablo City. "Why don't you just challenge the Gym there like me?" Paul asked.

"If I do, we won't go out of our way to explore more of the region," Haley replied. "Besides, we don't want to have _completely _identical cases, right?" Paul nodded. "You think he'll get over it?"

"Hmm?"

"Ash. Do you think he'll get over the comment you made?"

Paul put his hands in his pockets. "If he doesn't, then he's proving my point and I'll say it to him again."

There was silence. Paul then repeated his comment.

"How pathetic."


	5. Chapter 5: What's So Great About Honey?

Haley took a big whiff and then sighed happily. "Aaaahhhh, I _LOVE _the smell of flowers," she stated.

"Then you hit the jackpot," Paul said. "Floaroma Town is infested with them."

"Infested? What, do you they're some sort of disease?"

"Just trying to have a more colorful vocabulary." Haley rolled her eyes.

The town's motto of "Vivid and Scented" wasn't all bark and no bite. Next to every house and building was a flowerbed, big or small. Some buildings had multiple flowerbeds beside them. And the fields that surrounded the town had flowers that stretched on for what seemed like miles. Suddenly, Haley's stomach rumbled. She blushed. "Uh...hehe, looks like I'm hungry," she laughed nervously.

Paul raised an eyebrow. "You said you ate breakfast," he pointed out.

The girl scratched her cheek. "Um, funny story..."

"Humor me."

"I'm...really picky when it comes to breakfast. Today at the Pokémon Center there wasn't anything I liked, so I just grabbed an energy bar and then-"

"Lied," Paul sighed. "Great, now I have to wake up earlier than you so I can make sure you eat, even if it means shoving something down your throat."

"Nonono, you don't-" Her rumbling stomach interrupted her, louder this time.

Her partner sighed again. "Well, it _is _almost lunch, so I guess we can look for a place to eat. Either that or just go to the Pokémon Center." He walked on. "Come on, because I don't think your stomach will be able to handle another second without food."

"Sh-shut up!" Haley snapped, embarrassed.

They continued towards the Pokémon Center, but then a young woman ran up to them. She had bushy blue hair tied back. She was also wearing a red apron, a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and red sneakers. "Hello, are you two travelers?" she asked.

"We are, but right now we're in a hurry," Paul replied. He had slowed down a bit, but was now going back to his normal speed. "Right now-" It was now his turn to be interrupted by the very loud stomach.

"Oh, you're heading to lunch?" the woman observed. Paul stopped and Haley blushed again. "Well, luckily for you, I work in the café right over there." She pointed to a white one-story building with a flat roof and a red awning. A small sign stuck out of the side next to the door with a picture of a coffee cup. "Our special ingredient today is honey made from the local Combee. All of our selections use honey in some way."

At the mention of honey, Haley began to droll. "R-really?" she asked in a dream-like way.

Paul, meanwhile, raised his eyebrow again at his partner's reaction. "What's so great about honey?" he asked.

He should have probably thought that one through.

Haley grabbed his wrist. And by grabbed, that meant _squeezing it really tight_. Paul winced at her sudden strength. Then she proceeded to yank him towards the café. "You _clearly _have not tasted heaven," she stated.

"I didn't know the trip there would be this painful," he muttered, but it was so low not even Haley would here it. Yet right after he said that her grip relaxed a little. _What...there's _no way _she should have been able to hear me...maybe she just realized by herself. Yeah, that's it. Why do you keep thinking she's superhuman, you idiot?_

The eager girl opened the door, causing the little bell to chime. It was a small cozy, homey place. Not many people were there, but it seemed more because of the fact that it was the slow hour rather than because it was unpopular. The partners stepped inside, and were immediately followed by the employee. "My name is Jennifer," she introduced. The waitress grabbed two paper menus. "Please follow me." The three walked to a table that was next to the window looking out towards a flower patch and a large white building decorated in flowers. Paul felt strange as he sat down, not that any one in this café would understand. He had never been in a restaurant with someone...Well, except for his brother, but that was when he was younger. To him there was a difference between eating in a Pokémon Center, where food was free, and an establishment where you had to pay. He felt awkward sitting in his chair across from Haley, who was hungrily scanning the menu.

"Okay, I've got it," she stated a little later, placing the menu onto the table.

Paul hadn't touched the paper once. He was still trying to figure out a way to sink into his chair. It was a feeling he hadn't felt in years, and he hated the hotness and the feeling of Butterfrees that ravaged his stomach. _I'm just glad _THEY _aren't here, _he thought. "I still can't believe you pulled me into this little scheme of yours," he said aloud, hiding the dreaded feeling.

"Well, if you had lied about never trying honey, then I would have let you go," Haley replied.

"Actually, that's not what I said."

"You asked what makes honey so great? _No one _who has had honey would _ever _say that."

The boy sighed for the third time that day. "Fine, I'll humor you." Haley beamed. When Jennifer came back, his hungry partner ordered focaccia to share and some sort of corn and potato chowder. Paul was getting sick of raising eyebrows, but he did it again after she had also gotten both of them waters. "How do either of those have honey?" he asked.

"The focaccia has melted ricotta cheese that you spread honey onto," the girl explained. "There's a restaurant in Saffron City that does the same thing, and it's meant for sharing. And the chowder...they probably use it in the broth or something. Who knows, but it sounds good."

Paul was stuck on mixing cheese and honey. That just sounded..._weird. _Then he thought about it. It sounded weird to mix cheese with ketchup, or mustard, or anything else really, and yet those all tasted good. He decided to try it to, as he put it, humor her. He rested his head on his arm supported by his elbow and looked out the window. He looked at the white building. Paul wasn't a Coordinator, but when he traveled through Hoenn, he had seen a few of the halls, and so he was pretty sure that's what the building was. Then his eyes caught something. Two people walked in front of the buildings, and saying they looked strange or weird would be the understatement of the year. The two looked identical in every way. They had teal bowl cut hair and wore outfits that made them look like they were going into space. But they couldn't have been. This wasn't Mossdeep, and there wasn't a city in Sinnoh that launched rockets. He sat up. "Hmm?"

"What is it?" Haley asked.

"Those two," he replied, pointing out the window. Haley followed his finger.

"Man, they give me the creeps," she noted, shivering.

Paul looked at her. "I expected something about them being freaks or weirdos or something along those lines, not that they're creepy," he stated.

Haley blinked. "Oh, right, sorry. I forgot you don't have as sharp of eyes as I do," she said.

That again. The men were a good 15 feet or more away, and she could see them well enough to get the creeps. "Then explain to those who don't, Miss Sharp Eyes."

"Hey, nicknames are my thing," she retorted jokingly, her eyes narrowed playfully. But then they became serious. "They had on these stoic expressions, like yours only more severe. In fact, at least when you have on a stoic expression, I can still tell you have emotions and feelings. Those two...they almost seem like robots or like they had their souls sucked out of them."

Now that did sound creepy. Paul looked out the window again and noticed they were walking towards the east end of town, the way they would use to go to Eterna and Diablo. "They're definitely suspicious," he said.

"Should we do something about it?"

"Like Officer Jenny would take action because they 'gave you the creeps'."

He expected a defense, but she just sighed. "Guess you're right." She looked out the window. "Besides, it's not like they've done anything wrong." Paul nodded. Their conversation about the two men had made the time go by fast, so when they finished their food came out. "Since it's your first time, you take a piece first," Haley said.

Paul looked at the focaccia like it was going to jump up and attack him. But he had already promised himself he would do this, so he grabbed a corner piece. Then he took the small knife that sat on the paper that held the honey and honeycomb and took a small chunk, proceeding to smear it over the bread. Cautiously, he brought the piece up and took a bite. He expected a gag reflex.

Expectations aren't always the actual result.

His taste buds were exploding. The blend of the mild melting ricotta, the slightly crunchy fresh-baked focaccia, the dash of salt and the added sweet melting honey on top all sounded weird on paper yet just came together so perfectly. He looked at it and shrugged. "It's alright," he reported. _Alright? _ALRIGHT?! _Paul, this is better than alright! Just say it, dumbass! _But his mouth refused to comply and instead focused on finishing the piece.

Haley didn't mind. She just took her own piece and put on some honey. Paul had a slight suspicion that she already knew what he was thinking. She always seemed to know. Now he was reaching for his second piece, although it was very odd. His mind wanted it so badly because it was just so good, but his body was resisting since it wanted to keep up the charade. So his arm ended up slowly making its way to the tray, but once he had a hand on another piece, his body submitted. "Yeah, just okay," Haley spoke up as he put on some honey. Her voice sounded as if she agreed with him, but he knew better. That statement might as well have a footnote saying "Drowning in sarcasm".

The boy ignored her. He tried tasting more of the honey this time, since that was the reason he had been brought to this café in the first place. And when he tasted it, he wondered why he had never asked his brother to get some when he was younger. Paul actually had a major sweet tooth that no one but his sibling knew about. Not even their dad knew about it. _Then again, what does he know about us?_ Paul mentally shook that thought away. _How did that pop up? _he asked himself. Choosing to ignore it, he went back to what he was originally thinking of, which was how sweet and tasty the honey was. He wanted more of it, and just of it, but with Haley there, that would seem really weird and childish. And then he got a lucky break when Haley, who had finished her chowder and water, had to use the restroom. He watched her walk away, and then he quickly scanned the café before taking a finger and greedily dragging it across the paper, getting a fair amount of the honey not still in the honeycomb. He looked at the golden substance and, after licking his lips hungrily, he took it into his mouth. _So...so good, _he moaned in his head. Not Paul could explain why he acted so strange when he had sweets. When there wasn't a drop left on his finger, he smiled. "So that's what's so good about honey," he noted. He picked up his napkin to wipe his finger.

Then he discovered the downside to the sweetness. It's kind of...sticky.

"Ugh. Great, just great," he mumbled. "Guess I have to go to the- huh?" There was a wet paper towel in his face.

"Should have probably warned you that honey can be a bit of a pain on the fingers," Haley said.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" The earlier feeling came back to his stomach, and Paul prayed to any deity, human or Pokémon, that she hadn't seen him licking his finger like a messy child.

"I was thinking some might have gotten on your hand when you ate the focaccia," she explained. Paul sighed in relief internally. "So I got a wet paper towel ready just in case. Looks like I was right." She laughed.

Paul felt his face heat up. He snatched the towel and cursed her for embarrassing him under his breath. The scowl Paul had on his face just made Haley laugh more. Her actions made it so that she didn't notice Jennifer, who was carrying a jar of honey. Paul's partner accidentally hit her in the arm, causing the jar to fall. The glass fell and broke on the tile, and the honey splattered onto the floor.

And onto Haley's legs.

"OH MY GOSH!" Jennifer cried as Haley wore a shocked expression. "I am SO sorry!"

"No, I'm the one who's sorry," Haley said calmly despite her obvious discomfort with the honey on her legs. Paul had to hold back a laugh, settling on a quiet snicker instead. "I'll help you clean up."

"It's fine, I'll get this," Jennifer replied. "I'll be back with everything I need and another jar of honey for you." She ran off.

Paul looked at Haley. "You ordered a jar of honey?" he asked. "When?"

"When I was walking back," she explained. "It's good honey." _You're damn right! _Paul exclaimed in glee, though he didn't show it. "And you don't have to laugh at me, you know. This isn't comfortable."

"Karma's a bitch, ain't it?" Paul replied smugly. Haley let out a low growl but didn't counter. Jennifer came back with a bucket filled with soapy water, a mop, and another jar. Haley paid for it and lunch, and the partners left, though Haley did so with a slight awkward walk. "Why don't you just have Umbreon Psychic you to the Pokémon Center?" he offered.

Haley let out another low growl. "Because I'll never hear the end of it," she mumbled.

As if they were waiting for a cue, Haley's Pokémon exited their Poké Balls. All except Turtwig had evolved, meaning they were tougher and much more mature. Though Paul was considering if he should amend that last part of the description when all five of the Pokémon (and the Tiny Leaf Pokémon) sniffed the air, saw the honey, and fell over, laughing so hard tears rolled from their eyes. And then Paul's Pokémon came out. He still had the same five Pokémon that he had since the Oreburgh Gym Battle, and he had only expected Chimchar, who still insisted like acting like a child despite constant warnings, to laugh. Instead, he noticed all of his Pokémon were having trouble holding in laughs of their own, even Torterra. _Torterra. _Paul realized he hadn't been the only one affected by Haley's presence. "Too late now," Paul stated with a smirk, making the Continent Pokémon almost what little composure he had. "Now come on, don't you think being carried would be a wise decision?" Umbreon's eyes widened in understanding.

Meanwhile, Haley looked agitated and embarrassed. "It's bad enough they all had to see me, so can we just-" She was interrupted by chanting. Nine Pokémon were begging for Umbreon to carry her Trainer (yes, even Paul's Pokémon were in on the act). The black cat didn't do anything, however, until Torterra voiced his opinion.

"Um," the Moonlight Pokémon agreed. Her eyes glowed blue, and Haley was swept off her feet.

"Wah! Torterra!" she cried. "I thought you'd be on my side! Come on, Umbreon, put me down!" Everyone laughed, except for Paul, who snickered. The teen recalled all of his Pokémon except for Torterra since he shook his head. He would rather be here for the show. Meanwhile, Haley's Pokémon (minus Umbreon of course) hit their own Poké Balls and were beamed inside. The three then walked to the Pokémon Center while Haley floated right next to them, struggling and cursing them all the way.

"Hello," Nurse Joy began as they entered. "How may I...what do we have here?" The confused look on her face almost made Umbreon burst into laughter, Torterra lose his composure, and Paul to snicker.

"She just needs a shower," Paul explained, jerking his thumb towards the floating girl. "She got into a...sticky situation," THAT made Umbreon and even Torterra laugh a little, "so we need a room. Just for a half an hour, maybe a little longer. We aren't staying."

"P-Paul!" Haley protested. "That's too cruel! Come on!" Paul gave her a look that said "No chance". Haley pouted, yet he refused to give in.

Nurse Joy understood, though a little sweat drop did form. "There's a room on the first floor, down that hall and second on your right. And here's the key." She handed Paul a card.

"Thank you." He bowed. The three (with Haley in tow) went down the hallway and entered the room (except Torterra; he just laid down in the hall since he was too big to fit through the door, but not too big to where he took up the entire hallway). Paul opened the bathroom door, and Umbreon set Haley on the toilet. The female Trainer, however, refused to move.

"Not until you let us stay the night," she argued, a frown and narrow eyes on her face.

But Paul wasn't backing down. With an evil thought, he looked down at the black cat. "Umbreon, I think you'll have to use those powers just a bit more."

"WHAT?!"

"Um." The feline strode into the room, and Paul closed the door. "Um, Um, Umbre."

"No, no, Umbreon, put me down! Stop it! H-hey, put my clothes back on! Girly!" The shower turned on. "Umbreon come on- eep!" Paul smirked and sat on the bed.

15 minutes passed and the shower turned off. After another three or five minutes, Haley emerged, dressed and livid. Paul sat up (he had kicked off his shoes at some point and laid down, dozing for a bit) and smirked once more. "Hey, now you're all clean. In hindsight, you should be thanking me."

She huffed. "I'd be more thankful if we could stay here," she replied. Umbreon followed, a triumphant smile on her face. Then she turned, presumably to talk to Torterra. But she was greeted with an empty hallway.

"Um, bre?" she asked.

"Hmm?" Paul replied. He slipped on his shoes and noticed his absent Pokémon.

Haley joined them. "Now how did that happen?"

"Don't you mean when?"

"No, I mean how? You're always observant, and you wake up at the slightest noise. Unless..." She pointed a finger at Paul. "You lied to me this morning, too! You said you got sleep last night! You trained late again, didn't you?"

"We didn't get as much as I would have liked, okay?" Paul defended. Haley rolled her eyes. "Anyway, that's not what's important right now. Can we try and find my missing Pokémon?"

"Right." Then the lights flickered, and then shut off. "Whoa, now what?"

Paul wanted answers. He walked quickly to the front desk, with Haley and Umbreon at his heels, and met a frantic Nurse Joy and Chansey. "Nurse Joy, have you seen a Torterra anywhere?" he asked.

"Huh?" she stated, obviously confused due to her panic. "Oh, sorry I'm so distorted. The Valley Windworks must be experiencing difficulties, so all of our equipment has shut off...er, sorry, that's not what you asked. Yes, your Torterra walked out the door about ten minutes ago by itself after the lights flickered the first time. I was surprised it left on its own, but-"

"You just let him go and didn't tell me?!" Paul interrupted, visibly irritated yet worried.

"W-well, he seemed like he had a destination in mind," Nurse Joy replied. "M-maybe the Windworks?"

"Where is it?" Haley asked since Paul was a little too irritated to speak.

"Just off of Route 205," Joy stated.

Route 205. The way to Eterna Forest. The same way that...! "Haley, let's move quickly!" Paul exclaimed, whipping around and heading for the door. "I have a bad feeling about something."

Haley and Umbreon looked at each other before quickly following the Trainer. "What do you mean?" she asked as they walked quickly.

"Those men. They were heading towards Route 205. But maybe they weren't heading towards Eterna Forest."

His partner's eyes widened in understanding. "And maybe Torterra felt a disturbance coming from that direction," she said. "Pokémon have a strange sense for knowing these things."

"Exactly." Paul took out a Poké Ball. "Murkrow!" he exclaimed as he continued to walk. The bird appeared. "Go and find Torterra. He should be along Route 205 near the Valley Windworks. When you find Torterra, report back to me and lead the way. There might also be some strange-looking men there. Avoid them at all costs." Murkrow nodded and flew into the skies.

Meanwhile, the humans and Umbreon continued along the route, on guard and ready to jump into the trees if they saw one of the men. Finally, Murkrow came back to them and lead them into the trees on the right. They noticed the power plant through the trees, but more importantly they found Torterra, who was watching the Windworks. "Torterra!" Haley whispered. Paul recalled Murkrow as Haley and Umbreon ran up to him, and he joined them, eyeing his Pokémon.

"We'll talk later," he said. Then he knelt down, watching the power plant as well. "So this is why you left?"

"Tor," he replied, nodding.

"But there doesn't appear to be anyone there," Haley stated.

"Ter," Torterra said, shaking his head.

"So they are there," Paul said.

"Even so, what do we do? We're just a couple of teens, Paul. Maybe we should just wait for Officer Jenny."

Paul was about to reply when he heard footsteps. The four remind silent, even holding their breath, as two men looking like the other two (or maybe they were the same two men) walked down the path next to the trees. "That old man still won't give us honey, huh?" one of them stated.

"Commander Mars says it's not all that important," his twin replied. "She says although getting more Pokémon would be nice, getting power from the Windworks takes top priority." The eavesdroppers shrunk back as they approached just a little close for comfort.

"We're on a time limit, though," the first one said. "The power in town just went out according to the readings."

"That's what the hostages are for, idiot," the other hissed. Paul and Haley looked at each other. "No one would even come near us if we said we'll hurt them."

The first was about to speak, but this time it was Paul's turn to interrupt. "Ursaring, grab them!" he ordered as he quickly threw the Poké Ball. The bear grabbed the two surprised men, who now struggled under his grip. With narrowed eyes, Paul walked in front of Ursaring. "Take me to your leader," he hissed.

The second man sneered. "Kid, what do you think you're in, a video game?" he asked.

"I don't think you're really in a position to be refusing," Paul retorted. Ursaring squeezed tighter. "Fine, if you won't lead me, tell me."

"Commander Mars is in the big green building near the stone wall on the second floor!" the first grunt exclaimed quickly.

"Idiot, what do you-"

"Ursaring, get rid of them," Paul order curtly. His Pokémon promptly threw the two men far into the trees. "Now you and Torterra return." He recalled them, promising himself he'd use Torterra later. "Haley, let's go."

"Normally I'd fight you on this, but hostages are a different story." The three ran towards the plant, using the trees as cover. "Heh, looks like I was wrong. They do have souls."

"Just those two. Who knows how many of those people there are." They were now right next to the wall, looking at the building the grunt had mentioned. They knelt down in a bush.

Haley took out a Poké Ball. "Monferno, come out," she whispered just in case. The chimp was now out. "I'm going to hoist you onto the top of the wall. Nod if it's clear."

"Mon," Monferno replied. Haley clasped her hands together and gave her Pokémon a foothold. He stepped onto it, holding onto her shoulders as she cautiously stood up. With his strength and flexibility, Monferno was able to avoid the barbed wire to look and scan the power plant grounds. He looked at the Trainers and nodded. Haley nodded and he jumped down. Now the four quickly went to the gate, which Umbreon quickly and quietly opened with Psychic. They ran through the grounds, making sure they were spotted. Cautiously they opened the door to the green building and ran inside. The lights were on here, probably because whoever was doing this kept energy at the plant so they could see and continue whatever it was they were doing. Following the grunt's lead, they made their way up to the second floor. Umbreon's ears swiveled.

"Ummmbreee," she growled.

Her Trainer strained her own ears. "It sounds like electricity is crackling and...two Pokémon gathering energy," she reported.

"Curse you and your superhuman abilities," Paul mumbled. Haley rolled her eyes. They followed Umbreon to a door and, without hesitation, Paul flung it open. In the room there was a Luxray and an Electivire on panels, taking electricity into their bodies. Whoever these people were, they obviously wanted the energy the plant had. When they heard the door slam against the wall two men looking similar to those outside turned around, along with a young woman, who had red hair and red eyes and was wearing the same sort of outfit as the grunts except it was a dress.

"Hmm, when I expected company to barge in I was thinking it would be the police, not two children," the woman.

"What do you want with the energy here?!" Haley asked, getting straight to the point and noting the Pokémon as well.

The woman chuckled quietly. "Now why would I tell you?" she answered. "You wouldn't understand anyway. You two, get rid of them."

"Yes ma'am!" the grunts replied. They unleashed their Pokémon: a Zubat, a Glameow, and a Stunky.

"Elekid, stand by for battle!" Paul called out. His Pokémon emerged, sparks flying from his plug-like prongs.

"Umbreon, Monferno, get ready!" Haley said. Both of her Pokémon dropped into fighting stances. Then the three Pokémon fighting the thieves sprung without orders. Elekid Thunder Punched Zubat, Umbreon used Faint Attack on Glameow (and seemed damn proud of it; apparently without anyone noticing Glameow had given a typical teenager nose-in-the-air, not found of Umbreon's obvious tomboy nature, and the black wasn't pleased), and Monferno landed a direct Flame Wheel to Stunky. All three Pokémon fainted, to which the young woman was not pleased.

"Either your Pokémon are weak or you are," she said curtly. "To lose to children."

One of the grunts turned to her. "Commander, I believe these are no ordinary Trainers," he reported. His leader didn't change her cold expression. "I know I've seen them before, and it dawned on me. One is a repeat participant in various Pokémon Leagues, and the other is a three-time Elite Four Run Champion."

Now the woman seemed intrigued. "Interesting," she said. She turned and walked forward a little. "This may actually be fun."

"So you're strong then," Paul stated. "Or at least, you think you are."

The woman didn't hide the small vein that popped up on her temple. "You little brat," she grumbled. She sent out three Pokémon: a Bronzor, a Golbat, and a Purugly. "You get one chance to leave. Otherwise, you'll face the consequences. You are dealing with Commander Mars of Team Galactic. In fact..." Her irritated frown turned into a smirk. "Go ahead and bring out three Pokémon each. I'll still easily beat you two."

Paul looked at Haley and noticed she had on the serious scanning face she had worn when watching Ash's Gym Battle. "What do you think?" he whispered.

"Overconfident," Haley replied, sounding almost like a robot. "She will lose because of it. However, if she wants us to use six Pokémon, I see no reason not to comply." With that she brought Luxio out as well.

Finding this overkill but deciding to go along with it anyway, Paul sent out Chimchar and Torterra, as promised. "Monferno and Chimchar should go after Bronzor," he said. "If Bronzor tries to use a Psychic move, Chimchar will counter it before it lands a super effective hit."

"Elekid and Luxio are going to take Golbat," Haley continued. "That leaves Umbreon and Torterra to take Purugly. Everyone got that?" she asked a little louder than she had been talking at. All six Pokémon nodded. "Good. If any of you finish early, help any group that needs it."

Mars laughed. "None of them will be finishing any of my Pokémon," she replied. "Sic 'em." The three Pokémon lunged, and so did their opponents.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: The Pokémon are talking to each other, but none of the humans can hear them...They are still speaking, uh, Pokémon. However, I figured I would let you guys hear their conversations since it's their plans on how to defeat their opponents. I will note of moments like this if I ever do it again.)**

* * *

><p>"Hey Luxio, I have an idea on how to take Golbat out," Elekid informed her.<p>

"She's just a Golbat," the Spark Pokémon commented. "A Spark from me and a Thunder Punch from you will take her down."

"Yeah, but let's make 100% sure, and like I said I have an idea."

"Fine. What is it?"

"Let me hit you with Thunder."

"Are you trying to knock her out or _me_?!" Luxio hissed. "Besides, why can't you just use Thunder on her?"

"Low accuracy plus good speed."

Luxio grumbled. "Good point," she said. "But still!"

"You're strong, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you can handle a Thunder, right?"

"Never tried."

"It'll power you up."

Luxio looked at Elekid, still not sure about this. She then looked at Golbat and sighed. "Fine." She braced herself. "But if I faint, it's your prongs I'll be after."

Elekid charged up. "Alright, here we go!" He unleashed it, and Luxio flinched as the electricity entered her body.

Golbat laughed. "What is this, internal strife?" she mocked. "I was a little nervous to be battling two Electric types, but if I had known about this, then I wouldn't have been."

Haley's Pokémon snickered. Her eyes were sharper, and her muscles felt more powerful than ever. "You _should_ be nervous," Luxio growled with a smirk on her face. She roared, exploding with power. Then she pounced, using a well juiced up Spark. In just one hit, Golbat hit the ground, fainted.

In that time, Monferno and Chimchar were taking on Bronzor. "Chimchar, attack it with Flame Wheel!" Monferno exclaimed. "We'll take it out in one shot!"

"What?!" Chimchar replied. "But...I'm not strong enough to do that! And even if I was..." He frowned. "Paul would still find me weak."

"Forget all of that for a second," his evolved counterpart stated. "We have bigger things to- urk!" Their opponent suddenly used Extrasensory, sending Monferno flying thanks to the rainbow-colored beam.

"Monferno!" Chimchar cried.

"Must eliminate," Bronzor said in a deadpan voice.

Chimchar turned to it, furious. "I won't let you push my friends around like that!" he shouted. He then began to charge up a Flame Wheel, revving up in place.

Monferno recovered quickly from his quick flight and chuckled. "Perfect," he mumbled. Just as Chimchar flew Bronzor, his friend launched an Ember attack right at him, causing the Flame Wheel to power up even more. Chimchar hit Bronzor dead center with the powerful attack, and the Steel-Psychic type fainted. "See, told you we could take it out in one shot," Monferno said as Chimchar landed on the ground.

The unevolved Pokémon looked at Monferno and nodded. "Yeah, you were right," he said. He still looked down, though. _He's probably going to scold me anyway. He always does...I wish I were stronger, for him and for myself... _He looked at the veterans. "Do you think they need help?"

Monferno chuckled. "Eh, I think they've got it," he voiced. "If they really need help, we'll jump in."

"But-"

"They're fine, buddy." Monferno looked at the other chimp and winked. "Trust me." Chimchar looked at him with wonder, and then at his teammate and his partner. Right now Torterra was just watching as Umbreon and Purugly clashed, with the former using Faint Attack and the latter using Aerial Ace.

At least, it _looked _like Torterra was just watching.

"You know, I could _really _use some help right now!" the black cat requested with an annoyed tone.

"I still need to recharge from using Frenzy Plant and missing," the continent Pokémon replied calmly.

"You've been at that for, like, 20 hours!" Umbreon exclaimed as she jumped back.

"It has been five minutes."

"It's called hyperbole, big guy."

"Just focus on dealing with her, I'll been done soon. Don't worry about me."

Umbreon clashed her Faint Attack with Aerial Ace again and then jumped on top of Torterra's back, near his head. "And let you get hit with a super effective move? No way, Mister."

Torterra chuckled. "I appreciate your concern, but I've taken worse."

The feline growled aggressively at the other advancing feline. "Fine. If you say you'll be okay, I should trust you. But the second you recover from that cool off time, fire a Leaf Storm."

"It's never a good idea to tell the enemy your plans!" Purugly advised smugly as she got closer.

The Continent Pokémon nodded. "Go get her."

"On it!" Umbreon jumped and spun, making her tail glow silver and slammed the ground in front of Purugly with Iron Tail, stopping her in her tracks. Haley's Pokémon growled again. "You aren't getting near him," she threatened.

The Tiger Cat Pokémon smirked. "So he can make me faint and let you little pests win? Not a chance."

"Why are you doing this?!" Umbreon asked as she charged, forcing Purugly to jump back. "This is wrong! Can't you see Electivire and Luxray are suffering?!"

"My master commands they gather energy, and so they shall," Purugly answered.

"That's it?! Your fellow comrades-"

"The hell do I care? They're just tools."

Umbreon growled. "Umbreon, I'm ready," Torterra said.

"Hit it!" the Moonlight Pokémon ordered. The tree glowed green, and then leaves fired from it.

"Hmph." Purugly jumped to the side. "You missed again." Then she noticed Umbreon's glowing blue eyes and her smirk.

"Not this time, heartless bitch," she replied hauntingly. Purugly gasped and began to run away from the Psychic-controlled leaves, but eventually it was no use.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: Back to human perspective. Yay!)**

* * *

><p>"Purugly!" Mars shouted as her last Pokémon fainted. She called all three of them back, let out a growl, but then calmed down. "Oops," she said, as if she didn't really care. "I messed that one up. No matter, though. Not like it changes anything, though."<p>

"You're out of Pokémon, of course it does!" Haley exclaimed as all six Pokémon looked at the commander with serious expressions.

"Really?" Mars chuckled. "See, I have a full team of grunts I can call here at any time. What made you think I would leave if I lost? You're children. Did you think you would scare me enough for me to shit my pants and run in a need of a change of clothes?"

Paul grunted. Then he got an idea. He hoped it worked, because either way, Haley would be pissed. "Oh trust me, you'll be running for that change of clothes pretty soon," he said with a smirk.

Mars laughed. "Kid, none of your threats will scare me that bad," she stated.

"Whoever said it would be from a threat?" While everyone was in confusion from that statement, Paul quickly dug into Haley's backpack, getting slight protest out of her. He felt his target and pulled it out.

"Paul, now is not the time for a snack," Haley told him as she stared at the honey jar.

"Hey Mars, what's so great about honey?" Paul asked, sounding smug.

"Huh?" both females said.

With a strong throw, the honey jar fell at Mars' feet, shattering open and splattering the substances all over her leggings. She had a shocked, angry look on her face. Umbreon, now understanding what Paul meant, used Psychic to gather the honey on the floor and smeared it on the rest of it on the Team Galactic Commander's clothing. Mars let out something that sounded like a scream, a squeal, and a cry of frustration all at once. "My clothes!" she exclaimed. "Ew, this is gross! I hate honey!" She turned to one of the grunts. "You! Call everyone else and tell them we're moving out, now!"

"But, Commander-"

"We have enough electricity, and the police will probably be here soon!" Mars snapped. "Recall them and let's go!"

He didn't reply. "...Yes, ma'am."

"What are doing with that electricity?" Haley demanded again.

"I told you before, you won't understand," Mars replied calmly despite her obvious discomfort. "But I can say this: _We're trying to create a new world that's better than this one._"

The two teens and their Pokémon were so shocked that they didn't lift a finger when Mars and her grunts ran out of the building with their stolen energy.

...

"We can't thank you two enough," one of the workers told the partners. After they had recovered from their trance, Paul and Haley searched the buildings to eventually find the workers behind a locked door thanks to Umbreon's sensitive hearing.

"You're welcome," Haley replied. "Sorry we couldn't stop them from stealing energy, though."

"The important thing is that everyone is safe," Officer Jenny, who had arrived a minute or two after everyone was on the grounds, stated. "So let me get this right: the group that stole the energy went by the name of Team Galactic." Both teens nodded. "Did they happen to say why they needed the energy?"

Paul shook his head and said, "No." At least it was true in a way. Mars never said specifically why they needed the energy. Still, he didn't have a full understanding by what she had meant by creating a new world. He didn't want to answer questions he didn't fully know himself.

"Is there any way we can repay you?" a middle-aged man asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Haley thought. "This may sound silly," she began, "but all we need is a jar of honey."

The former hostages and Officer Jenny blinked. "That's it?" the man asked.

"This idiot broke the last one," Haley stated, jerking her thumb at Paul.

"It made her leave, so I don't see the problem," Paul stated nonchalantly.

"That costed money, you half-wit!" Haley snapped. Her partner just shrugged, succeeding in making Haley even more furious. She huffed and crossed her arms, pouting. "Fine. But you didn't have to use the honey. I know you're not a huge fan of it, but you could have used water."

_If I figured that would have worked, I would, _Paul thought, _but no one's going to complain about a splash of water. _He sighed mentally in sadness. _You don't how painful it was to waste that jar. All of that sweet, sweet honey...gone... _"Well, if it's honey you want, I can give you two jars," the middle-aged man told the partners.

"R-REALLY?!" Haley exclaimed. If there wasn't a huge crowd, Paul would have been drooling.

"Of course," the man stated with a smile. "I am a Combee keeper, and I make the honey around here." Haley's eyes sparkled, and Paul was starting to lose what little self-control he had.

"I'll keep an eye out for Team Galactic," Officer Jenny reported, bringing Paul back to reality. _My savior! _Paul cried. "Thank you for your hard work." With a salute of gratitude, she got back on her motorcycle and sped off.

Meanwhile, the Combee keeper dug through his bag and gave two jars of honey to the duo. Haley exclaimed a thank you while Paul bowed but on the inside was panting like a Growlithe. He was such a child when he started thinking about sweets, and he kind of wished there was a way to stop it. With the jars in Haley's backpack, the girl waved goodbye as Paul walked off. Haley caught up with him as the two entered Route 205 and headed towards Eterna Forest. "Man, what a day!" Haley exclaimed. "And it's not even sundown yet! How is that possible?"

"And that's why I didn't want to stay the night," Paul said. "I figured we could get even closer to Diablo City today. It'll make up for being sidetracked at the Jubilife TV station."

"Hey, that wasn't my fault!" Haley defended. "They _dragged _me in there!"

"Just like you dragged me into that café?" the purple-haired boy pointed out. Haley was about to retaliate when Paul quickly reached into her backpack and pulled out of the jars like before. He had finally gave into his urges. He unscrewed the lid. "Of course, I'm extremely glad you did. I actually have a major sweet tooth." He scooped some of the substance with his finger and licked it. Haley's mouth dropped wide open. "Remember this morning when I asked what was so great about honey? I kind of answered it for myself. It's very sweet and therefore very tasty. And you want to know what else is so great about it?"

"What?"

Paul screwed the lid back on and gave the jar back to her. He smirked. "It's one of the greatest weapons against women I've ever seen."

Haley blushed.


	6. Chapter 6: Waxing Darkness

"Ugh, _FINALLY_!" Haley sighed and flopped onto the grass.

Paul grumbled. "It wasn't that bad," he argued calmly.

"We got _fucking lost _because you wouldn't ask for directions!" Haley snapped. "If I hadn't asked the local Pokémon by saying to nod or shake to my questions, we'd probably still be wandering around, most likely until night time. Then we would have to stay in Eterna Forest until morning."

"So?"

"I don't know about you, but when I hear rumors of a haunted mansion in a forest," Paul ears perked, "I don't feel like staying. Not that I'm really afraid of ghosts, but people have been saying that mansion is barely standing. I hate that shit!"

"Wh-where did you hear these rumors?" Paul asked.

Haley stood up, dug through her backpack and pulled out her blue Pokégear. It was the newest version, and it looked sort of like a flip phone but opened like a Pokédex. She pointed at the top screen. "On the map function, it gives fun facts, although some aren't all that fun," she explained. Then she looked at Paul and blinked. "Why? Something wrong?"

He flinched before quickly walking towards Diablo. "N-no reason," he said. _Damn it, I'm being too obvious, _he thought. _She can already read me like a book, and I'm just making it worse._

His partner watched him go, shrugged, put her Pokégear back, and ran after him. They continued down the path and quickly saw Diablo City.

The city had a mix between old fashion and modern architecture. It was kind of like Ecruteak City, but it also felt darker while the Johto city had felt nobler. And with the newfound knowledge of the haunted mansion rumor, the city seemed even darker, making Paul shiver. "Are you cold?" Haley asked. Then she shivered herself. "Guess it's understandable. It is really chilly."

_She's either avoiding it for my sake or for once she can't tell, _Paul noted. "Well, just over those mountains is Route 217, where it constantly snows," he explained aloud.

"It does?" Haley stated. "Looks like I'm going to have to buy some sort of gear before we go."

"You have plenty of time for that," Paul replied. "Come on, let's go to the Pokémon Center and then to the Gym."

"You don't want to get some sleep before?"

_Thanks to your information, there is no way I'm sleeping now. _"Yeah," he said and began to walk to the building with the red roof, Haley following right after him.

After ten minutes at the Pokémon Center, both parties were healed. Then, thanks to directions from Nurse Joy, the partners found the Diablo Gym, which looked a lot like the Ecruteak Gym, except with a black roof instead of purple. Without hesitation, Paul opened the sliding door to find a dark room except for the middle of the battlefield. A circle of candles was lit, with a girl sitting in the middle of it, meditating. She had a black jumpsuit that went down to the middle of her shins and a purple sash in the middle. She also wore purple flats. Her carmine red hair was shining in the dim light, although Paul couldn't help but think of how much of a contrast it was. "I have been expecting you, Paul," the Gym Leader said calmly without opening her eyes.

"You...were?" Haley asked.

"I see you still speak for him," she continued.

They blinked. "H-how-"

"My ability to see the past and future," she explained. "I saw you would be coming and I wanted to know about your journey through Sinnoh thus far." Her eyes opened, revealing their crimson color. She stood up and snapped her fingers. Torches in each of the four corners and the candles on the chandelier above lit with purple flames, lifting the dark curtain. Paul noticed the back wall was covered side-to-side and all the way to the ceiling with books. "My name is Luna, and I am the Dark type Gym Leader of Diablo City."

Haley clapped. "Congrats, you're the only one," she said dully.

"I expected you to be happy, since your favorite type is Dark," Luna replied. "As is your favorite Pokémon and your first. Am I wrong in any way?"

The Trainer looked down. "No," she stated quietly. "I guess I'm just annoyed there aren't more Dark type Gyms."

"It makes me feel unique," Luna revealed. "Now Paul, would you like to begin?"

"Wait," he said. "If you said you can read the future, does that mean you know what moves I'll use? Do you know the outcome?"

Luna stared blankly. Then she proceeded to extinguish all of the candles in the middle of the battlefield to store them. "I fight fair," she answered. "Any further questions?"

"Where's the ref?" Haley asked.

"Here I am!" a young girl exclaimed in a bubbly voice, muffled by the door she was behind. She opened the door that was on the left side of the field. She wore a pink dress, white leggings, and pink slip-ons. She also had curly blonde hair and a pink bow on top. The young girl seemed out of place in the Dark type Gym, especially with her bright, shining golden eyes.

Haley blinked. "_She's _the referee? She's only, like, five!"

The girl cleared her throat. "I'm six!" she declared boldly, causing Haley to form a sweat drop and Paul to roll his eyes. "My name is Alice, and yes, I am the referee! So you better treat me with respect!"

"My cousin has a mind that is a few years above her physical body," Luna explained in a monotone voice. Alice nodded twice in triumph. "Now if you two are out of questions, shall we proceed?"

Paul got on the right side, the challenger's side, and the Gym Leader took her place opposite of him. Haley sat on her knees on a mat on the opposite side of the door, next to Alice. "The battle between the Diablo City Gym Leader Luna and the challenger Paul from Veilstone City is about to get underway!" Alice exclaimed happily.

"Wait, how do you know I'm from Veilstone?" Paul asked.

Luna didn't answer. Then Paul remembered. _She can see the past and future, _he thought. _Probably found out what city I'm from when watching one of my past battles and then told her cousin. _"The battle will be a 3-on-3, and when all three Pokémon on either side are unable to continue the challenge will be over! In addition, only the challenger may substitute Pokémon!" She raised both hands with a giant smile on her face. "Now let the battle begin!"

"Houndoom, come forth," Luna said in her monotone voice. The Dark-Fire type emerged from its Poké Ball and roared.

"Chimchar, stand by for battle!" Paul shouted. The chimp popped out and went into a fighting position.

The Gym Leader closed her eyes. "Your Chimchar," she mused. "Yes, I have seen why it is so special. I know why you bring it into battle." She opened her eyes. "Very well. As the challenger, you may go first."

"Dig!" Paul ordered without a second thought. Chimchar jumped and dug into the ground.

"Be ready," Luna stated. Houndoom braced itself, but when Chimchar came out of the ground, it did not expect the strength of the small Pokémon's throw and was flung into the air. "Houndoom," the Gym Leader said with slight concern, but it was very tiny. It was probably the most emotion she had shown all day.

"Scratch!" Chimchar let up and began to hurt the bigger Pokémon with his claws, which sent Houndoom crashing to the ground.

Luna waited Chimchar to land and then called her own attack. "Dark Pulse." Despite its injuries, Houndoom executed the attack with ease, and Chimchar barely had time to dodge, getting nicked on the back as he jumped out of the way. The slight impact caused Chimchar to roll a bit. Paul grunted, making Chimchar flinch at what he knew would come later.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: Pokémon voices again.)**

* * *

><p>Houndoom watched the chimp get up. "I see the fear in your eyes," he noted with a smirk.<p>

"I don't fear you!" Chimchar exclaimed angrily.

The Dark-Fire type snickered. "Who ever said I thought you were afraid of me?" he asked evilly. Chimchar began to tremble slightly, though whether it was from anger or fear, not even he knew. "Your Trainer. You're afraid of him scolding you." He chuckled. "You fear he will abandon you if you don't live up to his expectations. You fear he no longer believes in you, like everyone else use to."

Chimchar felt his blood boil and beginning to race. "Shut up," he mumbled. "Shut UP!" Without really thinking, he released fire from his mouth and enveloped himself in it. Then he lunged at the taunting Pokémon, who was now still in shock from the sudden, unordered attack.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: Back to normal.)**

* * *

><p>"That's Fire Spin," Paul mumbled. Then he remembered Houndoom's ability. "Chimchar, stop!" But the chimp was too angry and hit Houndoom straight on. Paul was about to curse his Pokémon out, when he noticed Houndoom wasn't absorbing the fire, but rather taking damage from it. Apparently it had Early Bird and not Flash Fire. The challenger decided to take advantage of the opponent being trapped in a vortex of flames. "Use Dig again!" he ordered.<p>

Chimchar was taken aback for learning a new move out of the blue when he landed, but as soon as Paul gave his order he snapped out of it and jumped into the floor. He quickly reemerged, sending Houndoom flying again, and when it hit the ground, everyone saw that it had fainted.

"Houndoom has fainted, which means Chimchar is the winner!" Alice exclaimed.

Paul expected his childish Pokémon to cheer like he always did, but he didn't. In fact, he still looked angry. _What exactly did Houndoom say to Chimchar that made him so...different? _Paul thought, recalling the Pokémon chatter that had occurred after Chimchar recovered from the Dark Pulse. _Wouldn't it be the most convenient thing if someone could understand Pokémon? _"Chimchar, re-" His Pokémon turned to him with anger and determination in his eyes. Then he started chattering and shaking his head. He...wanted to stay and fight? This was new. Chimchar was usually timid, and after battling once he was perfectly fine going back into his Poké Ball. "Ursaring is up next, your time is-"

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: Here again.)**

* * *

><p>He knew Paul couldn't understand him. But he decided to shout at him as if he could anyway. "What, so I'm really not good enough?!" he cried, placing his right hand over his heart. Paul stepped back, obviously not use to Chimchar yelling at him. And truthfully, Chimchar was scaring himself, but at this moment, he didn't care. "You think I'm done after one battle, don't you?! That I'm too weak to fight another one?! Is that it?! Well I <em>am <em>strong enough! I...can...still...FIGHT!" The last word was accompanied by his tail of fire bursting out into much stronger flames. They went out ten seconds later, and Chimchar looked at his Trainer with the same stare he had been wearing.

Paul looked at Chimchar, his mouth open. But then it closed and transformed into a smirk. "I guess you're more determined than I thought," he said. _So...so does that mean... _"Still, I promised Ursaring he would be used in this battle, and I'm not about to go back on that." Chimchar's face dropped slightly as his Trainer pulled out his Poké Ball. "But if Ursaring goes down, then I'll bring you back out. Not that I believe that will actually happen."

Chimchar smiled a little. _Better than nothing, _he thought as he was beamed back in.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: And back again. Last time for this chapter, I promise.)**

* * *

><p>"Ursaring, stand by for battle!" Paul shouted, sending his next Pokémon out. The bear let out a roar.<p>

Luna took out her next Poké Ball. "Honchkrow, come forth," she said. The Big Boss Pokémon emerged and simply stretched its wings. It seemed to have the same personality as its Trainer: deadpan and serious, which was a contrast of the proud and ruthless nature of other Honchkrow. "Night Slash." Honchkrow's wing lit up with a purple glow as it flew towards Ursaring.

"Dodge, then Hammer Arm!" Paul ordered. Ursaring sidestepped and pounded Honchkrow on the back with his glowing right arm. "Back up and use Hyper Beam!" Ursaring jumped back and fired the yellow-and-orange beam, which hit the big bird and sent it into the wall next to the front door. Paul thought for sure it was knocked out after that, but Honchkrow pulled itself back and stretched out its wings.

"Wing Attack," Luna ordered in her deadpan voice. Honchkrow flew at Ursaring, who couldn't do anything thanks to the recharging Hyper Beam required. So he ended up getting slapped around with nothing he could do.

Chimchar then popped out with his own free will and chanted at Paul. "Not yet, Chimchar!" Paul barked. But the chimp pointed at Ursaring and chattered some more, showing that not only did Ursaring not have much time left before he fainted, but also how determined Chimchar wanted to fight. _But why? Why is he so determined to fight in this battle? _Then Paul remembered how he grunted at Chimchar getting nicked by Dark Pulse, and it seemed right after that Chimchar had a new fire in him. _Is he...trying to prove something to me? _He remembered how many times he had called the Pokémon before him weak. Perhaps all of that had finally caught up with him. Paul smirked at him again. "Fine. You win. But you better prove that I made the right decision." Chimchar gave one curt nod. There was no smile, no happiness shining in his eyes, just pure determination. "Ursaring, return!" Paul shouted as he recalled him. He looked down at Chimchar. "Go." The chimp didn't hesitate.

"I am surprised," Luna stated, though her voice didn't portray anything near surprise. "I never expected you to do such a favor for Chimchar."

The challenger smirked. "I couldn't refuse such enthusiasm," he replied. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Haley had on a very big smile. It was clear Torterra and Chimchar were her favorites on Paul's team, so to see the chimp up again probably made her very happy. "Chimchar, Flame Wheel!" he shouted. Chimchar ran and then turned himself into a ball of fire and went straight for his opponent. It was a direct hit, but Paul wasn't going to wait for Honchkrow to recover again. "Ember!" Chimchar canceled out of his wheel and fired rapidly, hitting Honchkrow directly again. The Dark-Flying type fell to the ground, fainted.

"Honchkrow has fainted, which means Chimchar is the winner!" Alice exclaimed, sounding even more excited (if that was possible).

"Way to go, Chimchar!" Haley cheered, finally saying something since the battle began.

For once, Paul smiled after a win, though it was very small. _Perhaps he has the potential I once saw after all, _he thought. "Got that out of your system?" he asked. Chimchar looked at him and nodded, smiling a little as well. "Good. As much as I want you to get stronger, I don't want you hogging all of the attention. Return." He brought out Chimchar's Poké Ball, and this time Chimchar went in without any sort of retaliation.

"Mightyena, come forth." Luna's last Pokémon emerged with a slight growl. "I would bring out your Torterra," Luna advised. "Your other Pokémon will not be able to win."

"Is that a fact?" Paul questioned. Still, he hadn't used Torterra since his quarter final (and last) battle in the Ever Grande Conference, and Paul decided it was time to let Torterra participate in an official battle again. "Torterra, standby for battle!" The Continent Pokémon appeared.

"Tor-terra!" he cried.

Luna breathed in and closed her eyes as she exhaled. "I peered into the past to watch your Torterra fight," the Gym Leader stated. "So strong. When I saw you coming to challenge me, I thought yes, this would be the day I can fight such a powerful Pokémon." She opened her eyes. "I ask that you show me my thoughts were never wrong." Mightyena crouched into a hunting position, reminding Paul of his battle with Haley. He wondered if Luna had surprises up her sleeve like his partner.

"Paul, that Mightyena is specially bred!" Haley suddenly exclaimed.

_Like Prinplup, _Paul thought. _That means it has a move you wouldn't normally see. Against a Grass-Ground type_, _and it has fangs...Ice Fang! _"Torterra, get ready!" he said.

"Good deducing," Luna stated. "And you are correct. Go." Mightyena pounced, its fangs glowing icy blue.

_Wait...wait...NOW! _"Giga Drain!" Paul ordered. Torterra summoned the green vines from his back and caught the black-and-gray wolf. "Now, Leaf Storm!" The tree glowed a familiar green, and leaves shot out, cutting Mightyena. Torterra let go, and his opponent was sent flying back.

Luna watched her Pokémon flop onto the ground but pick itself back up. "Shadow Ball," she ordered.

"Brace yourself!" Torterra did so as Shadow Ball hit him, causing smoke to blind him. "It's going to use the smoke as cover," Paul whispered. "Hear its footsteps and then use Frenzy Plant." Torterra nodded and concentrated. He heard Mightyena running, and then it used its powerful legs to jump up, presumably using Ice Fang again. But it wouldn't get the chance once more as Torterra unleashed the vines, sending Mightyena flying back, and this time when it hit the ground, it fainted.

"Mightyena has fainted, which means the winner is Torterra!" Alice pointed her right hand at Paul. "That means the challenger Paul is the victor!"

"Nice going!" Haley exclaimed, jumping up from her mat.

Luna walked over to her challenger. "I saw this outcome," she said.

"But you said you fight fair," Paul stated as he recalled Torterra.

"I only see who wins, not how or why." She dug into her sash and pulled out a badge, which was purple with a white fang in the center. "Here is your prize, the Fang Badge."

"Why the Fang Badge?" Haley asked as she ran over to study. "I always figured a Dark type Gym would have a much more...darker-sounding badge name and design."

"Mightyena was my first Pokémon, and I have always wanted to name it Shadowfang," she replied in her monotone voice. _That sounds way too childish for someone like you! _both Paul and Haley thought, a sweat drop forming on the latter.

"Congratulations, Paul!" Alice exclaimed in her bubbly voice. "It's been a while since my cousin lost!"

"It has also been a while since anyone has come to this Gym," Luna stated. "Mainly because-"

"It's in a secluded location?" Haley guessed.

"They could always go to Eterna," Paul stated.

"They find it too scary," Luna answered. That's _why?! _the Trainers thought. Paul sighed. This Gym Leader was too confusing. He turned to leave with Haley following behind him. "Wait Paul, there is something I need to tell you," Luna stated. The victor stopped. "I sense darkness approaching you. Something from your past is trying to find you."

Paul felt his blood freeze. "What does that mean?" Haley asked.

"Probably nothing," Paul replied quickly. "Let's go." He walked quickly, pretty sure about what the Gym Leader was talking about, but he didn't want Haley, who was trying her best to keep up with him, to hear. _I'll speak with her tonight, when Haley's asleep, _he decided.

"Paul, is something wrong?" Haley inquired as she finally caught up with him just before they entered the Pokémon Center.

The boy shook his head. "No. What makes you say that?"

"You seem...spooked. And a bit pale. Not to mention you seem to have fear in your eyes."

Her partner shook his head again. "I think for once your eyesight is wrong," he stated. _At least...I wish it were..._

For the rest of the day, Paul was antsy, waiting for night to fall. Haley tried to coax out whatever was eating at him, but he refused to tell her. About an hour or two later, back at the Gym, Luna was meditating once more. "You think he'll come back?" her cousin asked, setting Luna's dinner in front of her.

"He will," she replied, her eyes opening when she heard the bowl tap the floor. "He is curious and scared, and if he does not get answers he will feel like he will explode."

"Hmm..." Alice mumbled. A few more hours past, and it was around 9:30. "Will he be here soon?" the six-year-old asked.

Luna peered into time. "In exactly thirty minutes," she reported. "He is waiting to make sure Haley is definitely asleep since she would scold him, thinking he is going out for late night training again."

Alice giggled. "Cousin, may I stay or should I not be here?" she inquired.

"You may stay behind the door, but you must not show yourself or make a sound," Luna informed her. "This is very personal to him, and he wishes for no one to know."

"Okay," Alice grumbled. She sat down. A few minutes later, she said, "Can you tell me what it is?"

"Alice, you will hear about it when we talk in 25 minutes," her older cousin stated.

Alice groaned, impatient. 20 minutes later, Luna told her to go behind the door. "I still wish I could be out here," the young girl grumbled as she opened the door and slipped into the darkness.

Paul, meanwhile, was walking quickly to the Gym. The main doors to the Pokémon Center had closed, so he had to go down from the balcony with Murkrow carrying him from the third floor to the ground. He told Murkrow to wait on the railing and then was on his way. The streetlights helped guide his way, but they might as well had been turned off. The hotness and the feeling of Butterfrees was back, and no amount of light was going to make it go away. He was now in front of the Gym again, and this time he had to take a breath before slowly opening the door. It was exactly like when he had opened the door earlier, except Luna was sitting on her knees instead of crisscrossed. "Is Alice here?" Paul asked.

"No," the Gym Leader lied. "Sit." She stuck out an open palm, pointing to the space right outside the circle of candles. Paul walked up and sat on his knees as well. A silence hug in the air, and he gulped.

"So...what did you mean earlier today?" he asked. Forget Butterfrees, now it was Yanmas.

"I see something from your past," Luna said.

"I already fucking know that, damn it!" Paul shouted. "Tell me _what _from my past!"

Luna didn't flinch at her visitor's raised voice. "Four," she replied.

"What?"

"I see four. I'm sure...no...I know that means something to you."

Paul began to shake. He knew it. He knew this is what she would say. Yet he refused to believe it. "No," he whispered. "Impossible. It's been five years! Why would they-"

"You know as well as I do how persistent they are when it comes to you," Luna interrupted. "They heard you came back to the region and decided to find you."

"But why me?!" Paul exclaimed. He was losing his cool, and he hated how that would happen every time he thought of them. "What's so special about me that they want to make sure I'm miserable?!"

"I cannot answer what I do not know," the Gym Leader replied. "I have searched through their pasts, knowing you would ask that question, but I saw nothing as to why they would pick you specifically. However, I can say why they bully; all of them are abused by someone in their family, and so they take it out on others."

Paul was breathing irregularly through clenched teeth. "How...how do I avoid them?"

"You cannot," Luna stated. "I see that you will try, but no matter what they will find you. It will happen when you are alone. You and Haley will be separated, and then they will find you."

"You're wrong!" Paul shouted, jumping to his feet. The only reaction he got was Luna opening her eyes. "I can and I will!"

Luna looked straight ahead and sighed. "I knew you would argue," she said. "Very well. Do as you wish." Paul, still shaking, spun around and stomped towards the door. "One more thing." He stopped. "I also see the haunted mansion in Eterna Forest, although I do not know why. After they find you, it goes blank for me. You will have to find out the future on your own."

"They won't find me!" Paul insisted one more time before slamming the door behind him.

A few moments passed before Alice slowly opened the door. She walked over to her cousin. "Poor Paul," she said softly.

Luna looked at the door. "Yes," she agreed. "To see someone force themselves to grow up and build up a barrier over their heart as he has...it always breaks mine."

Paul was now running, and then stopped at a light post not far from the Pokémon Center, panting and shaking. "I won't..." he panted desperately. He slid down the post and ruffled his hair with his hand. "I won't let them." Murkrow flew down, and was scared to find the blank, empty yet fearful expression in his Trainer's eyes. Paul looked at him. "I won't let them," he repeated one more time before Murkrow quickly grabbed his wrist and flew him to the balcony.

This wasn't Paul he knew, the Paul that caught him in the Johto region. And for once, Murkrow wished he would go back to his scolding, harsh ways.

...

Haley was totally confused the next morning. Usually Paul would insist on moving on without seeing any of the sights, but this morning he was. Diablo Beach was one, not that there was anything but giant rocks that where constantly assaulted by the waves. She noticed an island far, far out in the distance before a layer of fog obstructed the little view she had. _I feel sorry for anyone who gets shipwrecked there, _she thought. _You can't see the beach from there, and therefore no way of knowing there's a civilization over here. _"Let's go check out the rest of the city," Paul stated, starting to walk away.

"Paul, what-"

"Is there something wrong with resting once in a while?" he interrupted.

His partner walked after him. "No," she said quietly. "I guess not."

She expected to leave the next day, but apparently there was still more to see, not to mention Paul insisted she look for something to wear on Route 217, despite his protests to do so the day they got here. But when Haley looked around the store, there was nothing she liked. "Are you sure you checked everything?" Paul asked.

"Yeah, nothing," Haley said. "Come on, we should get moving-" Paul interrupted her by putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Th-there's no reason to go right now," he told her.

Haley looked at him. "Paul...you're scaring me," she said quietly, honestly. "Please...tell me what's wrong."

Paul slowly took his hand away. "N-nothing's wrong," he insisted.

"Okay, then why don't we-"

"Tomorrow!" he blurted out, attracting stares from people in the store. Haley expected him to ignore them as he always did, but this time he seemed to shrink under their looks. "Tomorrow," he said again, whispering this time. "If you really want to go, then let's get some sleep."

His partner blinked at his strange reaction. "A-alright," she said.

That night at the Pokémon Center, Haley couldn't sleep. She was watching Paul, whose breathing was irregular. Yet when she quietly got up, she noticed he was sleeping despite of it. Something was wrong, very wrong. She looked at his belt and silently picked it up. _I need answers, _she told herself and walked down to the lobby so she wouldn't wake anyone.

The next morning, Paul did not look rested. Yet now he insisted they start moving. Everything about Paul was freaking Haley out, and she still hadn't gotten her answers. When the pair reentered Eterna Forest, it was definitely different from when they traveled through it the first time. Paul was paranoid, so much so Haley wondered if there was stronger word to use. Every twig that snapped, every rustle of leaves, even the cries of the forest Pokémon caused Paul to jump. Haley thought he was acting like a scared child. Even the strange act of licking honey with his finger that he had done didn't compare to this strange behavior. "Paul, nothing is going to hurt you," she stated, trying to reassure him. That only made things worse.

"You don't know that!" he snapped, his eyes wide and filled with fear he was obviously trying to conceal. Suddenly they heard the cry of a Dustox, making Paul jump once more.

Haley didn't know what to do. "Maybe we should just relax for the rest of the day," she advised. "You didn't get enough sleep last night, I can tell. Try getting some more."

Paul was taking shaking breaths, but was able to nod. "Okay, okay," he said quietly.

They found a small clearing, and while Haley made something for dinner, Paul laid down on his sleeping bag. "Shoot, I'm out of Oran Berries," Haley noted. "I'll be right back. I saw some along the path back a ways and-"

"Send Staravia!" Paul suddenly cried, sitting up.

Now Haley was even more confused, if that was possible. "O-okay." She opened up the Poké Ball, and the Starling Pokémon shook out her body. "There are some Oran Berries along that path a little ways," Haley told her. "We need some. Think you can fetch some for us?"

"Star," the Flying type replied, nodding. Then she took off into the skies.

Her Trainer watched her go, and then sighed. "Paul, please, I can't help you with whatever problem you have if you don't tell me," she begged.

This time Paul didn't reply right away. "It doesn't concern you," he finally said quietly and sadly.

"Yes it does!" Haley shouted, exasperated. "It's what Luna said the other day, isn't it? What's coming back from your past? Is there any chance you could get hurt? Could I get hurt? Any of our Pokémon?"

Paul didn't answer at all this time. Haley rubbed her temples. Staravia came back quickly, and the girl finished making dinner. Because Paul seemed out of it, she released his Pokémon for him, who all looked very concerned for their usually cool, collected Trainer. Haley's Pokémon also looked at him with worry, all of them sensing something was very wrong with him. Yet, no one said a word throughout dinner, and they all decided to stay out of their Poké Balls for the night.

When everyone woke up the next morning, they noticed Paul seemed better, his color coming back and his paranoia fading, but only slightly. He seemed much calmer and much more rested, so Haley let her guard down.

She shouldn't have.

After breakfast and returning their Pokémon, the two Trainers began their trek towards Eterna City again. It went on in silence, and even the noises that had made Paul jump yesterday didn't do so as much today. He scanned the forest, relaxing a little. And then he noticed a shadow. It was too big for one of the forest Pokémon. It had to be a human, and his eyes widened. Then he sighed. _No, no it's not them, _he thought. _Stop being so jump- _"Hey, did you see another human here?" a voice asked, sounding far away. But he still recognized it.

Paul bolted without thinking.

"Hey!" Haley shouted after him, but Paul wasn't listening. He just had to get away...that was all he could think about. He didn't even remember the warning that he would be found when separated until he tripped on a tree root. He picked himself up and looked around. His belt with his Pokémon was gone, but more importantly, so was Haley.

"No, no, no!" Paul panicked, scanning the forest in hopes that he could find her. But he couldn't even find the path. Without a map he didn't even know which way was north. For all he knew he was heading back towards Floaroma Town. The logical part of his mind told him to stay put since if he kept walking he would get even more separated from his partner. But they were out there, and if he stayed in one place they would surely find him. He decided to continue walking and even if he found his way towards Floaroma instead, he could get directions. He only took three steps.

"Hello, Polly," a voice came from behind, making him freeze.


	7. Chapter 7: Haunting

Paul whipped around, and his heart rate skyrocketed. His breathing quickened as well, and he backed up, only to trip over another tree root. He scrambled and turned around but when he stood up, strong arms caught him. "Let me go!" Paul screamed.

The voice laughed. "Why?" he asked. "It's been so long. I thought you missed us, Polly." The captive gulped. He was put down and turned around, but it was definitely not out of kindness. It was so that they could see his fear.

The gang of four had no name, but Paul had given them one a long time ago: The Nightmare Gang. Why? Because that's what they gave him.

Braxton, on the far left, wore a black shirt with an electricity pattern in the middle, black gloves, blue jeans, and black sneakers. He was the brains and inventor. He once invented something that sent 20,000 volts through his system. He was surprised after that he wasn't afraid of Electric types. Braxton also loved setting up traps to capture Paul for the gang's torment.

Zach, next to Braxton, was the crazy kid. His brown hair and messy clothes showed that, not to mention the crazy look on his face that made it look like he was always on a sugar high. He loved popping up out of nowhere and scaring Paul right into another one of the members. Zach even managed to scare him once into a river in the middle of winter, making Paul stay cooped up in his house for a week.

Chase, the kid on the right (fitting since he was the leader's right hand man), had an appropriate name. He was the fastest kid in Veilstone, only matched by Paul, who had to become fast to evade him. He was there to make sure the tormented kid never got too far away. Today he wore a navy blue hoodie and jogging shorts. Paul knew he was the one who had spotted him before, and then he had reported it to the boss, the one standing in the middle, right in front of Paul.

Jason.

If Paul had been the one to write the dictionary, Jason's face would be right next to the word "nightmare". He was two years older than him, and much bigger and buffer, meaning he was the one who laid down most of the physical pain, though the other boys occasionally joined in. And while the other could mess with him mentally, no one was better than Jason. _He _was the reason Paul was hostile to most people and Pokémon. _He _was the reason why he only cared for strong opponents (well, mostly). And _he _was one of the many reasons why Paul had left on his journey. The purple-haired boy thought after five years they would forget him and move on.

With the evil smiles that were on their faces, they clearly hadn't.

"So," Jason began, "what are you doing out here in Eterna Forest all by yourself?" Paul was at least glad they hadn't seen Haley; otherwise she would probably be hurt, too.

"Has Polly grown up while he's been away?" Braxton asked, chuckling. "I hear there are ghosts in this forest, and we all know how our little Polly can't stand ghosts."

"Shut up!" Paul snapped.

Chase laughed. "Hey Jason, seems like he grew a tongue," he said.

"Really, let me see," Jason replied, suddenly reaching into Paul's mouth and pulling his tongue out. Paul grabbed Jason's arm with both of his hands and tried to pull him away, but it wasn't any use. "Oh, would you look at that, he did."

"Leh meh gah!" Paul shouted.

Jason laughed again. He let go of the muscle and then flung Paul over his shoulder like a shack of potatoes. "Come on, Polly. It's been so long. I thought the five of us could hang out together."

"We're going to some place special!" Zach exclaimed with a big grin. That could only mean bad news. "We saw this awesome mansion and thought you'd love it!"

They were taking him to the haunted mansion, and they were probably going to lock him in there, too. "No! NO! Put me down!" Paul shouted, kicking and screaming, praying that Haley would hear him.

"Maybe if you beg, I just might," Jason stated as he began to walk.

Paul knew begging would do nothing more than egg them on, not to mention the pride that he had built up over that last five years refused him to do so. Instead he continued to kick and scream. Braxton chuckled and slapped his left cheek and then his right. "Sorry, Polly, no one's coming this time," he said hauntingly. "Your big brother isn't here now."

But Haley was. And even if Braxton had been right, kicking and screaming were the only things he could do now. Maybe he would get lucky and somehow kick Jason hard enough to make the older boy drop him so he could run. Unfortunately, he wasn't so lucky, and they stopped without any interruptions. "Well Polly, what do you think?" Jason asked. "Cool _haunted _mansion, isn't it?"

The captive spun his head and his eyes widened. The mansion had a blood red roof and a dark brown body. All of the windows were boarded up, so even if Paul in his frozen state managed to stop banging at the door desperately, he wouldn't be jumping out of any windows. It didn't help that they were in a part of the forest where very little sunlight hit and that at this moment the leaves were swirling around it. "Of course," Braxton said, "ghosts aren't real, right? I'm sure you've learned that. You _must _have visited the Pokémon Tower and Mt. Pyre on your journey to become big and strong, right?"

Paul gulped. He hadn't, and it was their fault, they knew that. They had come up with stories of how all ghosts were evil and attacked and possessed little kids like him. At first he never believed them, but then he began having nightmares, and soon he developed a fear of ghosts, one the Nightmare Gang loved to exploit. When he had passed by the two burial grounds, despite the locals' pleas he had not stepped inside to pay respects for those who had passed. He was too scared. Suddenly Paul was jolted out of his thoughts when Jason lifted him over his head. Now Paul was looking at the wide open door, greeting him like something waiting to swallow him whole and never let him see the daylight again. "Tell us how it is," the boss said.

Their victim suddenly lost his voice even though he wanted to scream. He had frozen up despite wanting to struggle. Time seemed to slow, and it was as if he was starting at that gaping door for hours. But before he was tossed inside...

"What do you think you're doing to him?!"

_Haley! _She was here, just in time. But he still couldn't speak or move, though she sounded pissed.

The four boys turned their heads and looked at the girl, who looked as pissed as she sounded. "Oh, just playing with our old friend, Polly," Jason replied. "We haven't seen each other in five years and-" Haley was having none of that shit. She punched Jason in the middle of his back, causing him to lose grip on Paul, who tumbled to the ground.

"Hey, who do you think you are?" Chase shouted.

Haley brought out a Poké Ball. "Oh, you want to mess with me?!" she threatened. But Paul didn't give her the chance. He grabbed her wrist extremely tight and took off. "Paul, what-"

"Just run and don't look back!" he commanded, finding his voice. They ran far away from the mansion until Paul finally stopped in a clearing. After they caught their breath, Haley looked at him.

"Now can you tell me what's going on?" she asked.

Paul looked guilty. He didn't say a word, didn't move a muscle. Then he finally went to a tree and slid down the trunk, sitting down. But he still refused to speak. Haley found a seat on the grass across from him. _I'll wait as long as it takes, _she thought. "...They're bullies from my childhood," Paul finally spoke up. "I went to speak with Luna after you had fallen asleep the night of my Gym Battle. Luna said we would meet up, but I thought there was a way to avoid it."

"Is that why we stayed in Diablo City for so long?"

"...Yeah. And that's why I was so paranoid yesterday, and why I didn't want you to leave camp. Luna said they would find me when we were separated, so I didn't want you to leave. But then, this morning, I heard Chase, and whenever I hear any of them...I lose all rational thought. I just go into flight mode."

Haley looked at him. "They...must have done some horrible things...if they make you do that every time," she said.

"Horrible is putting it lightly," Paul said quietly. "They've abused me mentally, shocked me with 20,000 volts, pushed me into a river in the middle of winter, broken multiple bones multiple times, destroyed any toys I had, whipped me-"

"They whipped you?!"

Paul turned around and lifted his jacket and shirt, revealing old scars. "They've knifed me, too. And once...Jason almost...a-almost..."

"Stop," Haley said. "I think I know."

"Reggie saved me from that one," Paul stated, pushing his shirt and jacket back down and facing her again. He wanted to cry, but he had trained himself not to. The last time he had...four years ago. And he refused to ever do so again. "In fact, Reggie saved me from a lot of their attacks."

"I wish I had more than 'I'm sorry'," Haley told him.

"It's not your fault. I...really don't know who's to blame."

"At least you aren't blaming yourself."

"I did, when I was younger. But...Reggie stopped that, too." Paul sighed. "They're kind of the reason I'm what I am now. I probably would be...no, I _would _be making friends and not caring about strong opponents and Pokémon like Ash, but..."

"You want to make sure you're strong so they don't break you anymore."

"That was the idea. But today..."

Haley moved over to his side. "Look, you were caught off guard," she reassured. "You have your Pokémon," she showed him his belt that she had found, "and you have me. I'm your partner, Paul. I have your back, and I won't leave you." Then she laughed. "Well, unless you do something incredibly stupid."

Paul smiled, but it was very small. He closed his eyes, and without realizing it, he dozed off. When he woke up, the first thing that happened was the smell of Haley's cooking hitting his nose. "I...fell asleep?" he asked, confused.

His partner turned around, slightly surprised, but smiled. "Yeah. Guess you were exhausted. You slept the day away." Paul noticed everyone was out of their Poké Balls and that they were quiet, probably because they didn't want to wake him.

"That long, huh?" he chuckled. He stood up, only to be pushed gently back down.

"Just relax," Haley told him gently. "We'll take care of you tonight. Tomorrow you can be all callous and devoid of any emotion again." She winked.

Paul blinked, and then slowly began to laugh. It was a genuine laugh, one he hadn't heard from himself in years. Yet he liked it. Soon dinner was ready, and everyone began to eat. "Thanks," he said to his partner.

"I told you, I have your back," Haley responded. They ate in silence for a bit. "Hey, you wouldn't also happen to be afraid of ghosts?"

"I am," Paul admitted, sounding slightly cheerful. Probably because he no longer feared telling Haley his fears.

"They caused it, I bet?"

"Who else?" Suddenly Chimchar was in front of him, with surprised eyes.

"Whoa, I didn't expect that," Haley claimed. "I mean, they're all surprised, so why is Chimchar-"

"He's morbidly afraid of something as well," Paul explained. "And I was there to get him after."

Haley looked at Chimchar, smiled, and petted his head. "He probably thought you weren't afraid of anything, then," she noted. "Of course, you won't treat him any different, will you?"

"Chim," he replied, shaking his head and smiling. The rest of Paul's team agreed, making Paul give off a tiny smile. Then Haley yawned.

"Oh man," she said, running her eyes. "I'm so tired, I don't want to clean up." She stood up anyway. "But I know I have to. Come on, guys, let clean this up fast." Her Pokémon jumped up and helped her out. Paul would have, too, but he listened to Haley and just relaxed. Once everything was put away, the Trainers went under their sleeping bags. Haley yawned again. "See you in the morning," she said before falling asleep.

Paul didn't reply. He just looked around the clearing and smiled before falling asleep. For the second night in a row, the Pokémon were sleeping under the stars with them.

...

Sunlight. That's what woke him up from a peaceful sleep the next morning. He sat up and stretched, then looked around. Everyone was still asleep. He was glad everyone was there. He looked out into the forest and frowned. They were still out there, probably, and they were looking for him, most likely. He hated being afraid like a child, but he just couldn't help it.

Haley opened her eyes and noticed Paul was watching the forest and wasn't looking her way. She didn't want to scare him, so touching him or moving was out of the question. She even wondered if maybe she shouldn't speak, either, but what else could she do to grab his attention? "Paul," she said quietly.

Paul turned to her. She smiled. At least he hadn't jumped. "Morning," he said.

"They won't touch you again," she promised.

He looked at her and continued to do so as he lay back down. "I know," he stated. "Too bad it kind of makes me feel like a girl."

"Everyone has those moments and- hey, hey, no falling back asleep!" she scolded jokingly, punching him lightly as she sat up. He chuckled and sat up again as she stretched and everyone else began to stir. "Okay, today's the day we make it to Eterna City!" she declared.

"Prin-plup!" the Penguin Pokémon exclaimed, puffing his chest.

"Sorry, buddy, but Eterna Gym is a Grass type Gym," Haley informed. "You won't be participating this time." Prinplup looked dejected, to which Grotle comforted him.

"I say we get moving," Paul said as he stood up to put away his sleeping bag. "We've lost quite a bit of time."

"Oh, and whose fault is that?" Haley retorted, narrowing her eyes playfully. Paul just smirked, making her smile. He was recovering, which was a good thing.

After a quick snack for breakfast, the Pokémon were recalled and the duo set out again, back on the path. Of course, they had to be interrupted one more time by the Nightmare Gang, who were strangely down one member. When Paul saw them he tensed up slightly, but he tried keeping his cool. Haley had promised, and he knew she would keep it. "Hey, we need your help!" Jason said. That was new.

Haley narrowed her eyes. "Paul, let's forget these jokers," she said. She began to walk again, but Jason stepped in her way, making her growl. "Look, buddy-"

"Just hear us out!" Chase pleaded.

"Hear, hear!" Zach exclaimed.

Paul poked Haley's arm. "They never ask for help," he whispered. "It must be something really bad."

The girl processed. "Fine," she stated. "But if I smell bullshit, we're out of here. What do you want?"

"We were in that mansion yesterday-" Jason was interrupted when Haley stepped forward threateningly.

"I knew it, this is a trap!" she accused.

"It was going to be!" Jason admitted. "But it went all wrong, and now Braxton is trapped!"

Haley backed off, sighing. "Alright, what happened?"

"Okay, yes, we were setting up a trap for Po-" The intense gaze Haley gave off made Jason gulp and not use Paul's pet name. _I didn't know Haley could be so scary, _Paul noted. "For Paul, but then this crazy man started chasing us."

"He had this bloody butcher knife, and somehow we were split from Braxton," Chase continued.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. And I bet this man was a ghost, too?" she asked, not amused.

"We're not sure," Zach said. "I mean, he looked real enough. And then when we had gotten out of there and pretty far away from it, we noticed Braxton wasn't with us."

"And you've come to us because...?" Haley questioned.

"Look, you two are the only other humans in this forest, we need somebody," Jason stated.

Haley looked at Paul, who was trying to think if this was a good idea. He feared the beating he'd get otherwise, and also, despite how much Braxton deserved it, this just didn't feel right. He nodded at Haley. "Okay, we'll help," she said. "But!" She stomped, making the gang of three jump. "If I smell even the tiniest of bullshit, I'll have your heads, understand?" They didn't respond. "_Understand_?" she hissed.

"Y-yes ma'am!" they replied.

"Good. Now lead the way."

"But-"

"Lead the fucking way!" The boys scrambled.

Paul looked at her, amazed. "Wow," he breathed.

"Comes with dealing with an older and younger brother," she answered. "Now let's move."

In no time, they were in front of the mansion again. Paul gulped but tried his best to keep calm. Jason opened the double doors, which squeaked as they did. "So-"

"Paul and I are one team," Haley interrupted, taking charge. "I don't trust him with any of you. And speaking of trust..." She brought out Luxio and Monferno. "Luxio, you're with fat man over here."

"Fat man?!" Jason repeated. Paul would have snickered, but he held his tongue for fear of losing it. But Luxio wasn't afraid to do so since she could just shock the seventeen year old if he tried anything funny.

Haley ignored the boss. "Monferno, you're with the other two," she continued. "Don't let any of them out of sight, you two. And if they try anything funny, you have my permission to beat the shit out of them." Both Pokémon nodded.

"Can I at least bring out my Golbat?" Jason asked.

"Sure, if you think it'll help," Haley agreed. "Luxio, keep an eye on it, too."

"Lux," she said.

Jason let out his Pokémon, and the eight of them entered. Suddenly the door closed behind them, making Paul jump a little. "Hey!" Haley exclaimed, glaring at Chase and Zach.

"We didn't do that, honest!" they exclaimed. "We're not trying to scare him!"

"It's just the wind," Paul mumbled to himself. "Y-yeah, just the wind."

Haley sighed and pulled out a flashlight. "Monferno, check the east wing. Luxio, the west. Paul, we're going upstairs." She then released Prinplup. "Release Chimchar." Paul did so. "Alright then, let's begin." The groups went to their assigned areas. When Paul and Haley were upstairs, the girl began scanning everything with her flashlight. Chimchar jumped onto Paul's shoulder without really thinking. His Trainer looked at him, causing the chimp to flinch.

"This is the only time, okay?" he told him. Chimchar nodded. Apparently Paul wanted close company. And truthfully, so did Chimchar. The Trainer's footsteps echoed down the empty hallways, making the already scary atmosphere even worse. Then there was a gust of wind, which sounded too much like a ghost's wail. No matter how much close company he had, that made Paul spin around and suddenly bolt in the opposite direction.

"Hey, Paul!" Haley called after him. But Paul was once again too scared to listen. He turned down a hallway, with Chimchar clinging onto him tightly. His Trainer opened a door and ran inside the room, closing the door after him. He sunk to the floor, catching his breath. Then he realized what he had done.

"Damn it, not again," he mumbled, ruffling his hair again. He sighed and stood up, looking at Chimchar. "Well, let's go look for Haley."

"Chim," the Pokémon agreed. Paul turned to open the door.

"Um...hello?" a small voice asked. It sounded like a little girl. Paul and Chimchar turned their heads and saw a girl with short black hair with a red ribbon in it and a yellow dress. But more importantly, she was slightly transparent. The two screamed and dove into the corner, hugging each other. "Wh-what's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" the girl asked, floating closer.

"D-d-don't come any closer!" Paul ordered. The girl stopped. "Stay that far away! I'm warning you!"

The girl looked sad. "Mister, I didn't mean to scare you," she said.

"Y-y-you're a ghost!" Paul pointed out. "What else do you do other than scare?!"

"Please, all I want to do is help!" the girl exclaimed desperately.

Paul and his Pokémon calmed down slightly. "H-help...with what?" Paul asked. He couldn't believe he was having a conversation with a ghost.

"I want to help find your friend!" the ghost replied. "You are in danger here, and you need to leave as soon as possible!"

"You...know where Haley is?" Paul inquired.

"Chim...char?" his Pokémon followed.

"Well...I know where she is, too, but I mean your other friend, the one you came in here to find."

"Oh...he's not a friend, just someone I know. Haley and I agreed to help find him."

The girl floated back slightly. "I can lead you to him-"

"If you're leading us anywhere, it's to Haley first," Paul interrupted. "I don't want to be around him without her."

She nodded. "Okay, and then we find him."

"Right." Paul stood up, a little shaky. The girl went for the door. "_Don't_," Paul began, "you _dare _fly through the door. I open it and _then _you lead the way."

The girl still didn't understand why Paul was afraid of her. "...Okay." She backed up, making sure to stay the distance he had requested. Paul opened the door and walked out, with the girl floating behind him, and then she took the lead. The Trainer gulped and followed her, Chimchar still clinging. "This way," she said and turned down a hallway. Suddenly there were footsteps.

"Paul? Chimchar?" Haley called.

"Priiinpluuup," her Pokémon called.

The group stayed right where they were as Haley and Prinplup ran up to them. "Oh, thank goodness," Haley sighed in relief. "Stop doing that." Then she noticed the ghost girl. Prinplup jumped behind Haley's leg, but the Trainer didn't flinch. In fact, she looked curious. "Hello. Who are you?" Paul couldn't believe how casually she was talking to the ghost.

"My name is...or was...Lynn," the girl introduced. "I use to live here."

Haley nodded. "We're looking for someone," she said.

"I know," Lynn stated. "I was going to lead you to him, and then all of you need to get out of here. It isn't safe."

The alive girl let the dead one go in front of her, and the three boys watched in shock until they decided to follow. "Why isn't it safe?" Haley asked.

"My grandpa haunts these halls," the ghost explained. "He isn't like me. You see, when he was alive, he was the one who killed me."

Haley gasped."Oh my, I'm so sorry," she said.

Lynn shook her head. "It's okay. My Pokémon made sure he went with me, though she too lost her life. Soon some people came and boarded our house up. Though there are still some teenagers who dare each other to wander our halls, and then...Grandpa..."

"What does he do, exactly?" Paul gulped, not really wanting to hear the explanation.

"He uses the butcher knife he used on me and tries to kill intruders," Lynn explained.

Haley thought. "So that was the man the boys saw," she realized.

"Yes, and luckily when they separated, I was able to lead the other boy into the one room Grandpa can't enter."

"H-how can a ghost not enter a room?" Paul asked, finally finding a voice to contribute to the conversation.

"When I was still alive, I hung dream catchers in my room. I didn't realize they also repel ghosts." Lynn giggled. "I can't enter my own room."

Haley smiled, and then Lynn stopped. "Is this it?" she asked.

"Hey, is someone there?" Braxton asked from the other side.

"What do you know?" Haley said, amused and annoyed. "Braxton, right? Yeah, we've come to get you, along with your buddies. We have to get out of here, now."

"Would like to, but the door's jammed."

Haley sighed. "Is it okay if I bust down your door?" she asked Lynn. The young girl nodded. "Prinplup, Metal Claw!" Prinplup's claws glowed a metallic color, and then he attacked the door, tearing it down.

"Wow, thanks," Braxton said. He blinked. "Oh, it's you, that girl. And...Po-" Again, the glare made the fourth member stop from using the pet name. "Paul. It's Paul. But how-"

"Like I said, your buddies are in here, looking for you," Haley interrupted. "They enlisted us for help."

"Well then, let's go!" He started to run off, only for Haley to grab his wrist.

"Hold on, do you seriously want to get lost in here again?"

"But you said we have to get out of here."

"Yeah, in one piece. I don't think your gang would like it if I brought you back in bite-size pieces."

Braxton opened his mouth, but closed it again. Then he sighed. "Fine, lead the way."

"Prinplup, stay between Braxton and Paul. Lynn, think you can follow behind Paul?"

Paul froze. "I promise I won't get any closer than you requested," Lynn stated. The boy nodded. Now the five walked down the hallway and found the lobby again.

"Mon, Monfer!" Monferno shouted. He, Chase, and Zach ran up to them.

"Braxton, good to see you, man!" Chase exclaimed.

"Have you seen that crazy old man?" Braxton asked.

"Nope, nope!" Zach replied. "Haven't seen Boss, Golbat, or Luxio either."

There was the sound of something coming through the floor. "In the kitchen/dining hall," Lynn reported.

The two new boys screamed, to which Haley sighed. "Alright, girls, let's go fetch them," she said. As the group began to walk down the stairs, Jason and the two Pokémon ran out of the dining hall. "Luxio, up here!" Haley called.

"Lux, Lux!" the Pokémon cried.

"We've gotta get out of here!" Jason shouted. Suddenly a knife flew right by him and hit the wall next to the door. Everyone (except for Lynn) jumped.

"Intruders!" an old man cried. The three on the ground floor screamed.

"Th-that wouldn't happen to be..." Haley trailed off, scared for the first time. An old man emerged from the room. He had another knife, covered in blood, and he looked crazy. Murder crazy.

"Grandpa, stop!" Lynn requested. She flew down and held onto her grandfather's wrists. "Everyone, run!"

"Must...kill...INTRUDERS!" her grandfather shouted.

The teens and Pokémon ran for the door. "Duck!" Lynn suddenly ordered. The group hit the deck as a flurry of knives flew above their heads.

Haley scrambled to her feet. "Chimchar, Monferno, keep up covered with Ember!" The chimps released their fire as everyone ran outside. The two Pokémon stopped and ran after them. Haley went to close the doors, seeing Lynn smile at her before she did. And she was glad she closed the red doors when she did, because as soon as she did, one more knife made a _THUNK _on the door. She jumped back and then sighed in relief. "Well, at least we're out alive," she said. She whipped around, glaring at the Nightmare Gang. "Of course, we wouldn't have _been _in that situation if you idiots hadn't gone inside!" The group hung their heads. "And don't even _dare _say you're sorry, 'cause I know none of you are!"

"Look, we just want to scare-" Jason found himself interrupted again.

"Scare? _SCARE?! _You call tormenting a kid until he can't even function properly around you just _scaring?! _Try _scarring! _What right were you given to do such things to people, _HUH?!_" Haley grabbed Paul's wrist. "Come on, we're leaving. You guys can do whatever the hell you want, just stay away from us!" The four watched the girl storm away.

"Haley, you shouldn't say such things," Paul said. "They'll come after you."

"And when they do, I'll kick their asses!" she retorted. "I meant every word, Paul, and I won't let them do things like that to my friend!" They had exited the forest, and that's when Haley released her grip and turned to face him, surprised. "I-I mean...my partner...yeah..."

Paul looked at her. He realized that in the mansion, thanks to Lynn, he had called Haley a friend, but he still didn't want to say it out loud. "Right," he said. He walked ahead a little. "Over that hill is Eterna City," he continued. "We should get going. It's almost sundown."

"Yeah. I have a big day tomorrow." Haley walked beside him as they continued over the hill. "Hey...Paul?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm proud of you."

The boy looked at her. "How?"

"You went into that mansion and never ran out, not once. You even spoke to Lynn. She was the one who lead you to me, right?" Haley smiled at him. "That must have taken a lot of courage."

"But...I was absolutely terrified in there."

"At least you know that. But acknowledging your fears and still facing them is one way to get over them. You'll see." She put her hands behind her head. "One day, you'll be able to face them, I can feel it."

Paul blinked and then watched as the city appeared in front of them. "...Maybe."


	8. Chapter 8: The Grass Be Greener

"Mmm..."

"You look...uncomfortable."

"Why the fifth floor?"

"Nurse Joy said it was the only room available."

"Mmm..."

Paul sighed. "You've asked that question five times already. I can't believe I've kept up the charade and continue to answer with the same explanation you already know. So now you'll answer a question of mine. What's wrong with the fifth floor?"

Haley was sitting on her bed, knees curled up to her chest with arms wrapped around them and her back to the setting sun. She had only looked out the window once and then went straight into that position. That was a half an hour ago. "...I'm afraid of heights," she finally answered.

"You are?"

"I'm allowed to have fears too!" she snapped, though it sounded a tiny bit timid. Then she sighed and held up her left hand. "See this glove?"

"Yeah?"

"It's not because I like it...although, I guess it is a nice glove."

"So you wear it because of functionality."

The girl pulled the fingerless glove off, revealing a scar. "I fell off of a cliff when I was young," she explained. "Luckily, I grabbed a tree branch that was sticking out of it, but the branch also cut my palm pretty deep. I managed to climb back up, but I didn't get this treated until a few days after the accident. I wasn't suppose to be playing at those cliffs, so I feared getting yelled at them for it. Thanks to my stupidity, my left palm is really sensitive now, so I have to wear something to pad it." She put her glove back on. "I would like to touch it, but then a shock of pain would course through me."

Paul chuckled, and his reward was a glare. "In all honesty, I can see you doing something like that," he stated. "I at least got these treated," he added, pointing to his back.

"Yeah, but you probably didn't tell anyone who did it. That's why they're not in jail."

"Perhaps," Paul said with a shrug.

"How can you be so nonchalant about a gang who has scarred you both physically and mentally?"

"I was too soft. I never wanted them to go. I thought maybe if I treated them nice, they would treat me nicer." He laughed quietly. "I was quite the idiot."

Haley looked at him, then took a Poké Ball from out of her belt and studied it. "Let's stop talking about this," she said. "There are better things to discuss."

...

The next morning, both Trainers were rested, and with Haley's team all ready they immediately went to the Eterna Gym. "Whoa, holy foliage!" Haley exclaimed. "It's a giant indoor forest!"

"That's how my Pokémon like it!" someone replied happily. Haley directed her attention to a young woman. She had orange hair and orange eyes, and she wore a short-cropped black long sleeve with a green cloak over it. Her orange shorts went down to just above her knees, and she had green boots on. She smiled big. "Welcome to the Eterna Gym! I'm Gardenia, the Gym Leader!"

"Haley," the challenger introduced. "I want to challenge you for your badge, please!"

Gardenia laughed. "Enthusiasm! I like it!" She pointed to the east side of the "forest". "Well then, get over there and let's battle!"

"Where's the battlefield?" Paul asked.

"This _is _the battlefield!" the Gym Leader stated.

_It will give her Grass types the advantage, then, _Haley realized. "Alright then, fine by me!" she exclaimed. "This'll make it more fun!"

Gardenia laughed. "_That's _the spirit!"

Soon, both battlers were in position on their sides of the field. "The Eterna City Gym battle between Haley, the challenger, and Gardenia, the Gym Leader, will now begin!" announced the woman referee who had entered soon after the duo.

"Nuz-Nuz!" her Nuzleaf exclaimed, acting as a sort of co-referee.

"Three Pokémon will be used, and the challenge is over when all of one side's Pokémon are unable to battle! Furthermore, only the challenger may substitute Pokémon during the battle!"

"Nuz-leaf!"

Paul was in the bleachers, which were higher up than most bleachers, making it possible to see through the trees. He was thinking that, despite all of the crazy shit that ended up happening afterwards, he was glad to have fought at the Diablo Gym since it was plain and simple. The miniature forest below him would makes things a tad difficult for Haley, especially if she didn't want to set the place on fire. He looked up at the sky. There were clouds, but it was mostly a sunny day. If any of the Pokémon had Chlorophyll, it would make things even more difficult. "Alright, let the battle begin!" The sentence from the ref caused Paul to look back down on the field.

"Okay, Cherubi, let's go!" Gardenia exclaimed as she summoned the Cherry Pokémon. _Maybe I should start knocking on wood, _Paul thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Haley was deciding between Staravia and Monferno as her first. She quickly reached her conclusion. "Staravia, time to shine!" she shouted and released her Flying type.

"As my challenger, Haley, you get the honor of first attack," Gardenia offered.

"We'll take that," the Trainer replied. "Staravia, Tackle!" The Starling Pokémon flapped her wings once and then charged towards Cherubi.

"Dodge it, quick!" Gardenia ordered with a smile. It almost seemed as if she was here to be entertained rather than fight a serious battle. But when Cherubi dodged the Flying type with a quick sidestep, that thought went straight out the window.

"Whoa!" Haley exclaimed. "That's a fast Pokémon!"

"When Gardenia said 'quick', she meant it," Paul said to himself. It reminded him of Ash's Turtwig, another faster-than-average Grass type. He smirked. _He might get a run for his money. Assuming he hasn't been here yet._

"If you think that's fast," Gardenia commented, "watch what happens on an extremely sunny day!" She pointed at the sky.

Haley followed the finger up. The clouds that had been blocking the sun had moved a little, and now the sunlight was even stronger. _And if Cherubi gets faster due to sunlight... _Two and two clicked together. "Staravia, get ready, things are about to get a bit fast paced!" she warned.

"Tackle!" the Gym Leader ordered. The Grass type charged like Staravia had, but thanks to its ability it was even faster. It hit an unprepared Staravia, and then it was on the ground. "And now the perfect move on a perfect day like this: Solar Beam!"

No charge-up time combined with extra speed would spell disaster. If the Trainer in the challenger's box was a rookie. "Dodge with Quick Attack!" Haley's mouth ran before her mind could even process the order. The Flying type swooped under the beam and then circled back to begin above it, charging at Cherubi. Staravia hit it dead on, sending Cherubi flying back...into the forest. "Ah, shit," Haley mumbled. "Staravia, up! Keep an eye out!"

"Star!" the Starling Pokémon responded and escalated into the air. She scanned the forest, but Cherubi was so small and the trees were so thick that she couldn't find the Cherry Pokémon. "Star, ray!"

Haley growled. "Then keep on guard!" she ordered.

Paul sat up a little. To him, the call sounded like a confirmation of whereabouts. Of course, from where he was, he was able to see inside the forest, whereas above, there was barely a way to do so. He began to think maybe that was the case, and Haley just figured it out before him. _I'm getting lazy, _he thought. Then he noticed Cherubi, climbing up and up and... "Haley, it's coming for Staravia!" he shouted without really thinking. Haley looked at him.

"Backseat drivers," Gardenia grumbled. "Cherubi, Magical Leaf!"

The challenger's attention was quickly back on the field as Cherubi emerged from the tops of the trees, ready to fire. Magical Leaf was an unavoidable move, but not an unstoppable one. "Swat them away with Wing Attack!" she shouted. Staravia's wings glowed white, and she bat the leaves away as they came for her.

"Not bad," the Gym Leader complimented as Cherubi landed. "Looks like you've done this before. Although that little comment did help you out." She grumbled that last bit and eyed Paul.

"That wasn't on purpose," Paul huffed.

Haley chuckled. "In all honesty, I think that warning only gave us an extra second," she admitted. "A second we really didn't need."

"What do you mean by that?" Gardenia asked.

"First, you're right, I have done this before," Haley commented. "Most of my Flying types have batted Razor or Magical Leaf away, and Staravia is trained to do so because of how often it happens. And second..." She chuckled again. "Well...just look up."

The older female did so, and found that more clouds had come, partially covering the sun again. She grunted in surprise. "When did-"

"Weather is unpredictable, and since only a little of the sun was covered, it was hardly noticeable." Haley smirked. "Of course, I don't like taking chances, so I'm still going to act as if Chlorophyll is in full effect. Staravia, why don't we demonstrate that little combo of ours?"

"Star," her Pokémon replied, nodding.

"Combo?" Gardenia and Paul questioned. _When was she working on a combo? _Paul asked himself. _Maybe I was too busy training my own Pokémon._

"Now for my Sinnoh Flying type to demonstrate a Haley special: Quick Wing!" Staravia's wings glowed, like she was using Wing Attack, but a white trail of energy followed behind her as she charged, like with Quick Attack. With two different glows, Staravia was practically blinding to her opponent as she charged towards it, stunning it and making it unable to dodge the double attack. When Staravia swooped up and flapped her wings to get rid of the dust, everyone saw Cherubi had fainted.

"Cherubi is unable to battle!" the ref announced. "Which means Staravia is the winner!"

"Nuzleaf!"

Gardenia was amazed. "Thank you so much, Cherubi," she said with a smile. "Return." She recalled it. "Wow, Haley, I never expected that."

"No one does," Haley replied. "Though I'm surprised no one else has thought of it, or any of the other combos I've come up with."

"Maybe you're just a Combo Master," Gardenia stated, half joking and half serious.

"I like that title," her challenger said. "But it's not really as satisfying or fulfilling as Pokémon Master."

"Star-Star," Staravia agreed.

The Gym Leader laughed. "I'm glad I'm getting such an exciting challenger," she said. "Hopefully my battle with Ash will be just as exciting."

_So he _hasn't _been here, _Paul thought. "You know Ash?" Haley asked.

"Looks like you do, too," Gardenia answered. "I met him a few days ago in Eterna Forest. The route they were using, they were avoiding the back side of the forest."

"You mean there was a different route away from that mansion?!" Paul exclaimed, a little angry and annoyed that he went through that hell when he could have avoided it completely.

Gardenia looked sick all of a sudden. "You mean that haunted mansion really exists?" she asked, her voice a tad shaky.

_Her too, huh? _Haley thought. "H-hey, let's forget about that," she advised, not wanting to see either of them succumb to their fears. "We have a battle to fight."

The other two calmed down. "Yeah, you're right," Gardenia agreed. _Crisis avoided, _Haley sighed internally in relief. "Turtwig, you're next!" Another Sinnoh Grass starter revealed itself.

"Tur," it said, a little higher pitch than Ash's or Haley's.

Haley once again found herself deciding on Staravia or Monferno. Then she realized that Monferno didn't get to do much in the last Gym Battle besides be bait. Dawn's words didn't really affect her, but in a way the pre-teen Coordinator was right. "Staravia, take a break," she said. The Flying type nodded, and her Trainer recalled her. "Monferno, time to shine!" She released her chimp, who stretched, apparently not quite awake yet. "Let's get moving, buddy. Today's the day for your proper Gym Battle debut." That seemed to do the trick.

"Mon, Monfer!" he chattered, pumped up and ready to go.

"Haley, I know you and Monferno are fired up, but try to not burn the place down," Paul advised. A pebble (probably from her shoe) came sailing towards him, which he easily avoided. "Hey, if you can make bad puns, so can I."

His partner waved him off. "So, shall it be you or I who goes first this round?" Haley asked.

"You again," Gardenia replied.

"Generous. Monferno, Flame Wheel!" Her Fire type reeved up in place and shot off. And Turtwig...just sat there. "What-"

"Dodge." In a flash, Turtwig was gone. Monferno stopped his Flame Wheel, surprised, as were his Trainer and Paul.

"Another one?!" the Trainers exclaimed as Turtwig reappeared in front of Haley as quickly as she had disappeared.

"Tackle!" Gardenia ordered.

Monferno acted on his own, using Mach Punch to dodge the attack. "Glad I have two brains instead of one," Haley mumbled. She sometimes liked to her Pokémon as other brains of hers, since they sometimes thought exactly like her. "But now what? That's one fast Turtwig. Staying in the open...hmm...well, this may not work, considering she has home field advantage, but it's better than nothing." She exhaled. "Monferno, into the trees!" The playful chimp jumped right in, disappearing from sight.

Gardenia laughed. "My Pokémon know this battlefield inside and out," she stated. "Playing hide-and-seek isn't going to do you any good."

"Maybe you're right," Haley admitted with a serious look on her face. "But Monferno by nature play in the woods, just like an Aipom. Just because your Pokémon know this neck of the woods, doesn't mean they'll find a jokester on their first try."

"Fine, we'll go along with your game. Turtwig, time to play 'Tag'!" Turtwig jumped into the forest.

"Monferno, stay alert!" Haley ordered. "Use all of your senses, and strike when you think it's right!"

There was no answer, but Haley knew Monferno understood. The Trainers were left to wonder what was going on out of sight since all they heard was Turtwig moving around. Then there was a _THUD_, and for a split second Gardenia smirked, only to find that the Pokémon that came flying out was Turtwig. "But...how?!" she exclaimed as the Tiny Leaf Pokémon got to her feet.

"Like I said, by nature, Monferno knows how to swing from tree to tree," Haley replied. "Silently." Then a shadow jumped in front of her, from the challenger right side to the challenger left side of the forest.

Gardenia grunted. "After it-"

"And how do you know that was Monferno?"

"Who else could it be?!"

"Not who, what," Haley answered. "Didn't I also mention Monferno being a jokester? How do you know that whatever flew from here to there wasn't a twig he threw?" In all honesty, Haley herself wasn't sure if Monferno had thrown a twig or not, but she decided it would be better to act calm, collected, and in complete control.

The Gym Leader wasn't about to be thrown off by her own Gym. "Turtwig, fire Leaf Storm into the trees!" she ordered. Turtwig summoned the leaves and fired into both of the challenger's corners. Then Monferno jumped, but from the forest on Gardenia's right, and landed a Mach Punch to Turtwig's back. The Grass type rolled, but was able to get up and skid to a stop. "Leech Seed!" Turtwig fired a seed from her stem.

_The seed's slower than I imagined, _Haley thought. _All of that running around and two Mach Punches must have made her lose some steam. We'll take that advantage, thank you. _"Monferno, dodge! Then follow up with Flame Wheel again!"

"Dodge!" Gardenia ordered as the seed missed. Turtwig jumped over the wheel.

"Follow with Mach Punch!" Monferno broke out of his wheel and quickly turned around to chase after his opponent.

"Jump, Turtwig!"

Big mistake.

"Flame Wheel!" The Fire type reeved up quickly and shot after her. With nowhere to go, Turtwig was forced to endure the hit. She fell to the ground, and Monferno landed a ways back. Turtwig tried to stand up, and almost did, but then she fell back down, her energy spent.

"Turtwig is unable to battle, which means Monferno is the winner!"

"Nuzleaf!"

Gardenia sighed. "I'm sorry, Turtwig. I got a little cocky. But you did good. Return." She recalled her.

"Nice going, Monferno!" Haley congratulated.

"Mon-on, Monfer!" he cheered.

"It's not the end yet," Gardenia stated. "So don't think you've backed me into a corner. Roserade, come on out!"

The final Pokémon, the only dual-type, came out of its Poké Ball. "Roserade!" she cried.

This time, Haley had no trouble making her next move. "Monferno, get some rest, you earned it." Monferno nodded happily as Haley recalled him.

"No flinching this time?" Gardenia noted. "I assume you have a specific Pokémon in mind?"

"My best friend," Haley answered. "Umbreon..." She pulled back her arm. "Show time!"

With a powerful throw, Umbreon was released. Her paws gently touched as she landed in her hunting-like stance, the one she had begun her battle with Paul with. The spectator smirked. "This should be fun," he said to himself.

"So an Umbreon," Gardenia mused. "And you say it is your best friend? That makes two of us."

"Good," Haley said with a smirk. "I was afraid I would win this too easily."

Gardenia matched her challenger's smirk. "Would you mind if I took the first move this time?"

"Be a nice change of pace."

"Alright then. Roserade, Magical Leaf!"

Roserade spun, and the leaves shot of her rose hands at Umbreon. "Catch them!" Umbreon's eyes glowed blue, and the leaves stopped in their tracks. Then Umbreon began to revolve them around herself, as if she were a planet and the leaves were the rings around it. "I figured you would have Magical Leaf on that Roserade of yours, but I'm afraid this is an old song and dance for us. So now we'll just use the ones you've generously given to us as a shield. Faint Attack!" Haley ordered. Umbreon charged, fading out of sight.

Gardenia wasn't fazed. "Grass Knot," she whispered. Roserade's eyes glowed green, and dozens of blades of grass grew bigger than normal to tie themselves together. Umbreon reappeared as she tripped over one of them, skidding on the ground. The Magical Leaf ring collapsed around her, and she got up, growling. "Now, I'm going to try something new," Gardenia announced. "Tie its paws up completely!"

"Shadow Ball!" Haley ordered, hoping to stop Roserade. But the Bouquet Pokémon simply dodged as her eyes glowed green again. The grass around Umbreon grew and wrapped itself around her paws, all the way up to her ankles.

Paul, meanwhile, was amazed at the Gym Leader's move. "Never seen Grass Knot used like that," he noted. "But it's going to take more than that."

Haley proved his point. "Quick, untangle yourself!" The Moonlight Pokémon went to work with Psychic to unwrap the thick grass.

Since this was a new way of using the move, it wasn't as tight as Gardenia would have liked. She was on a time limit that was fading fast. "Roserade, Weather Ball!" Roserade jumped up and, thanks to the sun being fully out again, summoned a ball of fire. She threw it at Umbreon, who had just finished, and therefore had no time to react. When the flames lifted, Umbreon was revealed to have a burn. "Well, now it looks like you're on a time limit," Gardenia stated, satisfied. But then she took note of Haley's distress. Or rather, lack thereof.

"Hey, Gardenia, ever heard that I'm rubber and you're glue?" she asked. "Whatever you do bounces off me and sticks to you!" Suddenly Roserade was engulfed in flames that disappeared as quickly as they came, signifying that the Bouquet Pokémon was inflicted with burn.

"Ah!" the Gym Leader screamed. "But-"

"Synchronize," Haley explained. "Passes on status problems. Umbreon is the only Dark type to posses this ability." _Yet another way she catches opponents off guard, _Paul noted. "You know, I'm actually grateful for stopping Umbreon. Imagine if Girly had hit, and Roserade's ability was Poison Point. Synchronize wouldn't work then because of Roserade's typing. But would've, should've, could've, didn't, right?" She smirked. "Oh, and one last thing: that time limit you mentioned? You're under it as well. And it's worse for you, considering I still have my entire team."

Gardenia grunted. "Okay Roserade, let's end this quickly! Flash!" Roserade illuminated her entire body, blinding Umbreon. "Now, Magical Leaf!"

"Use your ears and use multiple Shadow Balls!" Haley instructed. Umbreon jumped away from the leaves and fired quick small Shadow Balls, destroying most of the leaves. But one caught her, and she stumbled, causing the rest of the attack to connect. The burns then affected both Pokémon, though thanks to the last attack Umbreon was feeling worse. And she was still blinded "Umbreon, sense her out and use Shadow Ball!" Umbreon found her target and fired the shadowy orb.

"Magical Leaf again!"

"Keep those Shadow Balls going!"

This time all of the leaves were destroyed. Roserade used that time to jump into the air (after being affected by burn again). "Weather Ball!"

Umbreon dodged, but thanks to her closed eyes she didn't see one of the leftover Grass Knots and tripped over it again. "She's off today," Paul mumbled to himself.

_Why, why, WHY?! _Haley screamed. Had they been too cocky? Was that it? "Come on, Umbreon, get up! You can do it!" she encouraged. Umbreon lifted herself up, flinching thanks to the burn.

"You know, I'm kind of disappointed," Gardenia stated as Roserade landed.

Haley didn't listen to the rest of whatever the Gym Leader was saying. She hated when her first Pokémon, her best friend, was getting ridiculed. It pierced her heart more than anything, and it made her feel like she had failed the veteran fighter. "Umbreon, fight!" she shouted, sounding desperate.

Umbreon hated when her Trainer, her best friend as well, got like that. It was as if Haley had magically regressed to a rookie every time that happened, flustered and unsure. That angered the Moonlight Pokémon, because it made _her _feel like _she _had failed. Fueled with that, Umbreon formed a dark ball in her mouth. But it looked slightly different. "That doesn't look like any Shadow Ball I've seen," Paul said. Then he realized what it was, right as Umbreon fired.

"Um-bre-on!" she shouted. Her eyes flew open, showing their anger and determination, and released a beam of black and purple circles at Roserade, who was surprised.

"Umbreon?" Haley asked, equally surprised at the new move.

"I was right, that's Dark Pulse," Paul commented.

"Dark Pulse?" Haley repeated. She gasped. "That's right! That's the move Luna's Houndoom used!"

The Dark type special attack hit the Grass type dead on, and she was sent flying, the beam still going as she was against the wall. It quickly subsided, and both Roserade and Umbreon fell to the ground. Roserade fainted, but Umbreon went on a little longer, giving a triumphant smile before fainting as well.

"Both sides have fainted!" the ref announced. "However, since Haley still has useable Pokémon, she is the victor of today's challenge!"

"Nuuz-leaf!"

It was sort of bittersweet for Haley, since she felt like she could have done a bit better. "Umbreon, are you feeling okay?" she asked gently as she walked up to the Pokémon, who was starting to wake.

"Um...Umbre," she answered quietly and slightly nodding.

"I'm sorry," Haley stated. She scratched her friend's left ear. "That didn't go so well."

"You still won," Gardenia said as she approached the victor. "And I have to say, Umbreon has a spark that is quite amazing. To learn a new move right then and there, just to shut me up...you must be really special to her." Umbreon nodded again.

"I know she is to me," Haley replied. "Oh, right, what move did you forget?"

"Iron Tail," Paul interjected, holding his open Pokédex. "Honestly, sometimes I worry about you. I hope you realize no matter how much you ask Umbreon, you'll never get answer."

Haley and Umbreon blinked. Then they laughed, though Paul noted that for some strange reason it was slightly nervous. "Of course!" Haley exclaimed "Guess my mind is still stuck on the battle, so it's not working properly!" Her laugh went to a chuckle, then she cleared her throat and stood up. "So no more Iron Tail, huh? Oh well, not like it was used much. Well Umbreon, you ready for some rest?" Umbreon nodded, and her Trainer returned her.

"Well, I've gotta admit, I am extremely impressed," Gardenia said. "You're really tough! Wasn't it hard for you to raise your Pokémon to be so good?"

Haley laughed. "Kind of!" she replied. "But if you don't put in effort, you don't get results!"

Gardenia smiled. "You certainly got results. Forget anything I said, because you've demonstrated serious bonds and incredible teamwork." She dug into her pocket. "And for it, you get this, the Forest Badge." It looked exactly like it was called, three green forest trees all coming together.

The victor took her new badge. "Thank you," she said happily.

"And thank _you _for such an awesome battle," Gardenia told her. Then she hopped from one foot to the other, looking antsy. "Man, this just got me even more excited for my rematch with Ash!"

"You already battled him?" Haley asked.

"Unofficially in Eterna Forest," the Gym Leader replied. "He lost."

Paul rolled his eyes. Typical. "So...is there really another route through Eterna Forest?" he asked.

Gardenia looked at him and blinked. "And is there really a haunted mansion?"

"Thank you again so much, Gardenia!" Haley said quickly. She grabbed the back of the collar of Paul's jacket and tugged at it. "But we need to get to the Pokémon Center, and then we're exploring the city."

The boy turned his head. "Look, I just want-"

"I am _not _going to try and calm you down again!" Haley shouted.

"And I don't feel like playing therapist to Gardenia again, either," the woman ref sighed.

"Well, since someone is on my side, I think we can leave." Haley tugged at the collar so that she was almost dragging Paul behind her.

"Good luck on the rest of your journey!" Gardenia called after them.

The door closed behind the Trainers, and then they suddenly heard, "No, it's just a stupid rumor!"

Haley sighed. "But it's not," Paul stated.

"She doesn't need to know that," his partner grumbled.

"Fine, fine, but can you at least release me?" Haley did, and Paul straightened his jacket. "So, Pokémon Center and then exploring the city? Why not just leaving?"

"Just the Eterna Historical Museum," Haley stated. "I want to learn about the Sinnoh region, and that's not exactly easy or satisfying in Kanto."

"How about no."

"How about this is totally fair," the girl retorted back. "You dragged me through Diablo City for two days and didn't even tell me why. I only want to go to one place, and depending on the time of day when we exit, we could still have daylight to use."

Paul was about to argue, but then he realized she had a point. "Fair is fair," he finally admitted.

"Thank you," Haley responded.

They entered the Pokémon Center and got Haley's Pokémon healed up, then made their way over to the Eterna Historical Museum. On either side of the entrance were statutes of Pokémon. "The Pokémon that commands time, Dialga," Paul explained when Haley asked what Pokémon they were. "And the Pokémon that controls space, Palkia."

"Hmm." Haley smiled. "Pokémon have pretty amazing abilities."

"Humans must be even more amazing if they can control such creatures," Paul added.

"What about legendaries like these two?"

"Well..." He looked at the statues. "Maybe." With that they entered, and something behind the desk caught Paul's eye. "That's strange."

"What's strange?" Haley asked, but so did the Officer Jenny that walked up to the counter.

Paul looked at the adult. "The security system; it's outdated," he explained. "That's a third gen system. I thought PythonTech was on fourth gen."

Jenny narrowed her eyes. "Kid, what do you know about security that I don't?" she asked.

"That's a H-134 model," Paul stated. "Granted, it _is_ the most advanced gen three systems, but it has been known to be a bit faulty as of late. Model S-201 is the most up to date."

The officer blinked, as did Haley. "I didn't know you were such a techie, Paul," his partner piped up.

Paul shrugged. "Just a little interested," he replied nonchalantly.

"I would say 'little' is an understatement, considering S-201 is at best a prototype," Jenny informed. "Only those who were following the latest conference closely and us officers know about the newest system."

Now it was Paul's turn to blink. "Really," he said, somewhat surprised. "No, I was sure they were out already."

"You're suspicious," Jenny accused. "You and I need to have a talk. _Alone_."

Haley looked from Paul to Jenny and back to Paul. She shrugged to him and left the two. "Guess I'll see you later," she called over her shoulder.

Paul watched her go. "Kid, who exactly are you?" Jenny questioned.

"My name is Paul."

"Last name?"

He flinched. "Uh...don't have one."

The officer raised an eyebrow. "Let me see your Trainer ID," she requested, although he knew it was more of a demand.

Now he gulped. He hated his last name. Not because it sounded stupid, but because of what it meant. "O-okay, I lied, I do," he stated. "It's Anderson."

"ID?"

Paul bit his lip. "Uh...forgot it?" Now that was a painfully obvious desperate attempt to get away from the situation if he ever heard one, and it was coming out of _his _own mouth.

"Very funny, kid. Now do I have to bring you down to the station?"

"No, no, I'll get it." The last thing he needed was a call from Reggie yelling at him for being dragged to the police station. With shaky hands he took his bag off his back and opened it up. He dug through it and found his Trainer ID. When he handed the plastic card over, he got the reaction he was expecting: wide, surprised eyes. "My name is Paul Shinji Zuckerman," he admitted. "The very Zuckerman you're probably thinking of."

Jenny looked at the card, at Paul, at the system, at Paul, and then back at the card. "I-I had no idea...I apologize-"

"Please don't act formal, I'm not a representative for my father's company," Paul interrupted. "I'm just a normal Trainer." What a fucking lie that was.

There wasn't a person in the world who hadn't heard the name Zuckerman, and whether they knew it or not, everyone had something that had been through PythonTech. They made software, hardware, security systems, you name it technical, most likely they made it. Except for Poké Balls. That was Silph Corporation's territory, and no one stepped into it. PythonTech dared once, and that was probably the worst finical year of the company's long history. And Paul was the son (and unfortunate heir) to the father and current president, Fredric Zuckerman. It _would _be Reggie, but the bastard hated Paul's older brother because of his love for Pokémon, not knowing Paul liked Pokémon as well. His older brother was neglected and treated unkindly, and as a result Reggie ran away when Paul was four. Reggie wanted his younger brother to stay behind, but Paul refused, so they left together. That was eleven years ago, and they had yet to be caught. There were a few people in the world besides the brothers who knew Paul's last name: the people who registered him for the Pokémon League, and now this Officer Jenny. "So then...no one knows?" she asked.

"Not a word," Paul requested. He then added a "Please" as he reached for the card.

Jenny met him in the middle. "I won't tell a soul," she promised. When the plastic was in Paul's hand he quickly threw it into his bag and put it back on. "Anyway, since I assume you only saw the announcement of the S-201, I'll explain. Apparently it still has problems, according to President Zuckerman himself."

"Impossible," Paul countered. "My dad's too much of a workaholic and perfection for it to have any problems upon announcement. Once they're out for a year or so he doesn't give a damn, but not a moment before."

"I thought it was impossible too, but that's what they say," Jenny informed. "Even Cyrus said so."

Cyrus. His father's biggest business partner, and the man who knew just as much about every product as his dad did. As much as Paul hated both men, if both of them said there were problems, his hands were tied. "Then never mind, I guess," he sighed. "Sorry for taking your time."

"That's my line," the officer said, giving her first smile all day. "Well, enjoy the museum."

Paul nodded and went to find Haley. It had just been confirmed both men had said the newest model was faulty, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something was...off about the whole thing. He ruffled his hair. "Oh, what's the point of trying to understand those two?" he mumbled. He finally found his partner, who was busying looking at a scale model of the Space-Time Tower.

"Hey, you're back," she noted. "So, what was that all about?"

He shrugged. "She must be the cautious type," he replied. He would rather not let another person know about his real identity. It wasn't that he didn't trust Haley, but so much of his past had been revealed to her already, and he didn't want something else to be dug up in front of her so quickly. Besides, at least his reply was somewhat true.

They walked around a bit, finally coming back to the lobby, which held a special piece that Haley had been too busy caught up in the paintings and artifacts to notice. "What is it?" she asked as she searched the pedestal. "There's no plaque for information or anything."

"That's because not much is known about the Adamant Orb," someone said. The Trainers turned to see one of the tour guides. "All that's really known is that it somehow connects to Dialga and Palkia."

"Like, as in summoning them?" Haley asked him.

"Perhaps," he replied. "But no one knows for sure. Not yet, anyway. Professor Carolina of the Celestic Town Historical Research Center wants to study it, but apparently is too busy working on the Celestic Ruins at the moment."

Paul was sure he had heard that name before, but he also didn't really care at the moment. "Well, if that's all there is to it at the moment, I guess there's nothing else here I want to see," Haley declared. "Thank you for the information."

"Any time," the man stated and walked off, and the Trainers left.

"So, are you ready to go?" Paul asked.

"Yeah, I guess," Haley replied. _He seems a little on edge ever since that conversation, _she noted. _I wonder what they talked about. Well, guess I shouldn't push it. _She sighed internally. _And I don't think now would be the best time to admit that my feet are killing me..._

...

The journey to Mt. Coronet was...interesting, if Paul could only use one word. First thing that happened was, not long after they left Eterna City, Haley collapsed, due to her feet being absolutely sore, forcing them to stay at a Pokémon Center. They were about to leave the next morning when a Trainer with blue hair interrupted them. He wore a pink shirt, a brown vest, black pants, and black boots. There was a red handkerchief around his neck and sunglasses resting on his head. To say he was a snob and an arrogant asshole was putting it lightly. The first thing he did was hit on Haley, making her very agitated and Paul growl a little. The other male slyly asked if Paul was upset that he was trying to steal his girlfriend, which not only got an angry reply of "She's not my girlfriend!", but also somehow ended up with the two in a Pokémon battle. It was Chimchar verses a Growlithe. The opponent commented on how Fire type starters were weak, and how he had once had a Charmander that he had given up for said reason. Now Paul wouldn't have minded since he also believed in strong Pokémon if the teen didn't brag about _leaving it in the rain to die. _For once, both he and Chimchar were angry at the same thing. Having enough with this clown, Paul ordered Dig, which took out the Growlithe in one shot. The Growlithe looked strong. The Trainer was just too weak.

"Maybe that was why the Charmander was weak," Haley commented. "He just doesn't know how to properly raise Pokémon."

"What a waste of time," Paul grumbled. Chimchar actually agreed. "Let's go."

"Oy! You just gonna walk away?" the boy asked. Paul sighed. "I've got stronger Pokémon than that. Fire types are weak anyway."

Chimchar took offense to that, and Paul couldn't believe he was trying to coax another battle out of him. "Find some other loser to fight you," he responded.

"Afraid you'll lose? Think you'll embarrass yourself in front of your girl-"

"You're asking for it!" Paul snapped as he charged. Soon there was a scuffle where neither Haley nor Chimchar knew what was going on.

"Have you ever see him this...immature?" Haley questioned.

"Chim-char," the chimp replied, shaking his head slowly.

They watched the dust cloud for a few more moments. "Well, looks like we're not going anywhere for a while," the female Trainer stated. "How about we go inside?"

"Chim." The Pokémon followed her into the building. The TV was on, and everyone was focused on it. There was something about the Eterna Historical Museum, and the Adamant Orb, and thieves...

Haley flew back outside. "Paul, you might want to see this!" she called. Paul and the other male stopped fighting. They went inside to watch the breaking news.

"Once again, we bring you to our top story on the stolen Adamant Orb," the newscaster reported.

"Stolen?" Paul repeated. Other Trainers who had just walked in also gasped and mumbled to each other.

"The robbery took place ten minutes ago by unknown thieves," the woman continued. "We do not have the full details, but police say that at the time of the robbery the security system was experiencing a series of glitches."

Paul immediately sat down at a table to where he could see the TV. Chimchar hopped onto it. "Chim?"

His Trainer was silent. "We're not leaving until we see the conclusion of this," he declared.

Haley and Chimchar were taken aback. "Really?" she clarified. Her partner said nothing, but the look on his face was enough to make her quietly sit down, with Chimchar in her lap. Paul wasn't too concerned with the stolen orb. He had a feeling the police would get it back. What did concern him was the statement he knew his dad would sooner or later make about the faulty security system, especially since it was a priceless artifact. _And I want to be there when he makes it, _Paul decided.

He hated his dad. He hated the company. He hated the idea of taking said company from said dad. But, in the case that he was found and forced back, he wanted to know as much as he could about it. That was the reason he knew about the latest system and the systems before it. He had that knowledge just in case worse came to worse, and when he would appear on center stage for the whole world to see (assuming he got caught in the first place), he wouldn't make a complete fool of himself.

An hour passed, and finally the orb was found and returned. The thieves were the three Team Rocket losers, so Paul figured Ash was somehow involved. For a few minutes nothing else happened. He was surprised his dad hadn't appeared yet and, thinking he wasn't going to, got up. "Let's go," he said. Haley looked at him walk past, and Chimchar woke up (he had dozed off at some point, finding the very rare updates boring). The chimp hopped off the girl's lap to let her stand up, and they were almost out the door when the woman newscaster said something about a statement from Fredric Zuckerman. Paul grabbed Haley's shoulder. "Actually, just a few more minutes."

"Why...oh," she said when she noticed the TV.

"On behalf of the entire company, I apologize for our faulty system," the president began. "We understand that the model is outdated. As we speak, our fourth generation of systems is being finalized and will be out shortly. We understand that what was almost stolen today was an artifact that is to forego studies and is very important to the world of archeology, and therefore we will work even harder to make sure something like this does not happen again."

The room was silent. "You know, Paul," Haley whispered. "Earlier I wanted to leave. Now I have the energy to train at best."

Paul was silent for a few more moments. "I agree," he finally said. _Dad sure does know how to suck the energy out of everything._

The next morning, Haley actually wore a different outfit: a red t-shirt with white sleeves and jean shorts. Paul asked why the sudden change, and Haley told him she had found out they would have to travel down Cycling Road. "Bike plus skirt equals no thank you," she ended her explanation. Paul agreed with the logic.

One bike trip later, and soon the two found themselves at a very large river, with a Wailord-looking steamboat just docking. The duo walked down to the docks and discovered it was one of those sightseeing steamboats that also made its way towards Hearthome City. Paul would have agreed to it, until he heard the words "first class restaurant". He quickly made his way to the Pokémon Center. "I'll pass," he stated.

"But it sounds like fun," Haley insisted.

"It also sounds like there will be a bunch of rich snobs there," he argued. "Therefore, I'll pass. _You _may go if you so choose."

Haley sighed. "Every party needs a pooper that's why they invited you," she sang in a monotone voice. "Party pooperrr, party pooperrrrrrr." Paul just rolled his eyes.

Next day came; there was a storm, preventing them from going anywhere. The day after that, they began their three day walk down the river, a day trip by boat, as Haley pointed out a total of three times. She would have gladly rubbed it in more, but Paul threatened to duct tape her mouth shut. "And the only way you'll be able to get free is with my help," he finished, his tone showing he was _way _past even the _slightest _bit of tolerance.

"Do you even _have _duct tape?" Haley inquired.

"Shall we find out?" Paul answered hauntingly.

The reply was a quiet "No" and silence (depending on who you were, it was either much needed or awkward). Finally, Mt. Coronet was ahead of them, and in no time, so was the entrance. Paul had gone through it once when he and Torterra (then a Turtwig) were just starting. They were traveling to Oreburgh for their first Gym Battle, but a call from Reggie asking if he wanted to see an important battle he was going to have canceled those plans, and then, not long after, canceled his plans on returning to Sinnoh for five years. He sighed, more heavily than he realized. "You okay?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, just breathing."

"Just...breathing," the girl repeated, not believing the excuse. "That sounded _way _too heavy to be 'just breathing'."

_What is with the interrogations_ _lately? _Paul asked himself. "I was thinking about something," he replied, which was at least truthful.

Haley grunted. "Will you just forget about it already?" she asked, a little miffed.

Paul almost jumped back in utter shock and asked how the hell she knew about Reggie's last battle when he immediately (and thankfully) remembered the steamboat. "Good, you seemed to have listened," he said as he walked into the mountain path.

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled. She followed in after him, and a few seconds later he heard her grumble, "Duct tape. Next time, we'll see who uses the duct tape." He couldn't help but smirk at that.

Of course, his short-lived happiness always had to fade quickly, didn't it?

"...where the Sinnoh region began," Paul heard someone mutter up ahead. He knew that voice.

There was no way he wanted to encounter the face.

Paul grabbed Haley's wrist and immediately covered her mouth to drown out the squeak, shout, or whatever of surprise that would no doubt come out of her. He then proceeded to go on another path that would take them to the exit. It would take a bit longer, yes, but it would be better than running into-

"Hello, Paul. I didn't expect to see you of all people today."

Oh damn everything to high hell.


	9. Chapter 9: Something Will Be Born

What had she done to deserve the sudden grab-and-tug? All she was doing was thinking. _And _a hand over her mouth? What was he doing?

"Hello, Paul. I didn't expect to see you of all people today."

He stopped, the grip tightened, and he huffed, sounding annoyed and frustrated. Apparently, Paul hadn't wanted to be spotted.

Clearly, his wish had been denied.

She turned her head and saw a man, probably in his late twenties. He had blue spiky hair and blue eyes, and he was wearing...a business suit? In a mountain cave? Haley might have focused more on how odd the sight was if her focus wasn't on the atmosphere the man brought with him. It radiated with importance and leadership.

And Paul _knew _this guy, although he didn't seem too happy about it.

Paul finally let go of her wrist and faced the man, his face seemingly calm. But he was definitely not. "Cyrus, how...surprising it is to see you," he said, the annoyed tone in his voice betraying his face.

"Now come on, is that any way to treat a family friend?" Cyrus asked. The low growl Paul gave told Haley that no matter if this guy _was _a family friend, he wasn't _Paul's _friend. Then Cyrus noticed Haley. "And who is this?"

"H-hello," Haley greeted, the man's atmosphere making her a little nervous. "M-my name is Haley. I'm Paul's traveling partner."

"I see," the man stated. "My name is Cyrus."

"Nice to meet you," the girl replied, although she wondered if it really was, considering Paul's attitude. "So...I know this is going to sound strange, but why are you wearing a business suit in here?"

Cyrus laughed. "Not the one to be afraid of asking the blunt questions, are we?" he inquired.

Paul rolled his eyes. "He's the mobile man of Sinnoh's industrial complex," he explained. "Almost every library and museum is built under his supervision, as well as a few other buildings in the region." He looked at her. "The Eterna Historical Museum, for instance." Haley was amazed. Never mind the fact that Paul clearly didn't enjoy his company, his family _personally _knew the man responsible for preserving Sinnoh's history. Paul then turned, his back to Cyrus. "Now that you two know each other, _we're leaving_."

"Hold on, Paul, why so hostile?" Cyrus asked. "I just want to have a friendly chat. It has been three years since you and have last met."

"Cyrus, you are treading on _very _thin," Paul warned.

"It's surprising how much more you sound like your father every time I see you."

"_VERY _thin ice," the boy hissed.

"Can we just talk?"

Paul was going to reject again, but Haley brought him close and whispered, "Just do it. He might follow us and keep on pestering you if you don't."

He was silent for a while, and finally he sighed. "Fine," he huffed. He walked up to his dad's business partner for the second private conversation of the week. "This better be important," Paul grumbled, his arms folded and a scowl on his face.

"Would I take your time away if it _wasn't_?" Cyrus replied. "I am a busy man, after all."

"Yes. _Clearly_, you're busy, seeing as you're sightseeing inside Mt. Coronet, mumbling incoherent nonsense."

Cyrus remained calm, except for his eyes. Paul clearly saw them twitch a little at his sarcastic comment. "I see you definitely have gotten more of a...sense of humor since we last met," he noted.

"Or maybe I always have, and I just didn't feeling like sharing it with you," Paul replied. "Now, I'll say it again, this better be important."

"I had heard of your return, and wanted to see how you were doing," Cyrus explained, getting to the point this time. "I had also heard something interesting about the Valley Windworks about a week or so ago. Seems like you defeated a group of criminals. Team Galactic, as I recall."

"And?"

"Well, since it was his security system, your father was informed and led to believe the police handled everything. Of course, I had the sneaking suspicion that wasn't the case." Typical, on two fronts. First, that his dad would only care if it had to do with his security and second, that Cyrus went out of his way to confirm if the police were wrong. Paul always found it strange that the man didn't care for the police force, but then he would counter that thought by pointing out that maybe he just didn't like how they handled certain situations. "I am glad I chose to find out for myself."

"I never said I did anything about it," Paul said, rolling his eyes.

"That 'And?' made it pretty clear to me."

"Fine, whatever, you're correct. Now can you please leave? I have places to be."

"But wouldn't you like to come with me and tell your father about your heroics?"

Paul narrowed his eyes. Again. He was doing this _again_. "How many times," he began, hissing, "do my brother and I have to tell you to not say a damn word to him?"

"It's easy to ignore children."

If he didn't get out of this conversation now, Paul was going to snap, and it wasn't going to be pretty. He whipped around and stormed off, then grabbed Haley by the wrist once more and yanked her along. "We're leaving," he hissed.

"Hold on-"

"We're _fucking _leaving," he repeated, sounding agitated and livid.

Haley looked back at Cyrus, who gave her a warm smile and a wave. She couldn't hear what they had talked about, but whatever it was, it didn't _look _like the experiment for this product she now had on her hands. Or in this case, the hand of the product wrapping around one of her wrists. And to make matters worse, Paul hadn't realized he had taken her left wrist. He was squeezing it so tight, barely any blood was allowed to flow. It would only be slightly uncomfortable, if her left hand had been what it was eight years ago. "Paul-"

"It's none of your business!" he snapped, not realizing she didn't care for whatever they had talked about at the moment.

"But-"

"Stop trying to talk about it!"

"Hand!"

They stopped with the exit only a few feet away. Paul turned his head. "What does that mean?" he asked, confused but the agitated tone still there.

"You're squeezing my left wrist!" Haley exclaimed. "I can't feel my left hand!"

"Left...hand?" He looked down. "Oh God!" he shouted and let go as if he had been touching fire and just realized how hot it actually was. He quickly walked out, leaving Haley to stand there, shaking feeling back into her hand before running after him. She had expected him to be farther along the path, and she almost took off down it if Paul hadn't piped up, "I'm sorry." She turned around to find him leaning against the cliff, hands in his pockets and a guilty look on his face. "I didn't mean to."

"Hey, it's all right," Haley stated. "See, look, the color's back!" Her reward was the hint of a small smile. "And I understand. Some people get me agitated, too."

Paul's face darkened, and Haley realized too little too late that even mentioning Cyrus, whether it was by name or not, was a very, _VERY _bad move. "Forget him," he said in a voice that made a chill sprint (the usual run analogy too slow for this moment) down Haley's spine. "Don't mention him, don't ever bring him up, I don't want to even think about him." He glared at her, and for the first time since she had around him, Haley flinched. "Understand?"

All Haley could do was nod. He walked on, and she let him get ahead of her before she followed him. Walking next to Paul just didn't seem as inviting as it usually did. It was basically impossible for Haley not to think about Cyrus, and she was amazed she was able to bite back her questions, but miraculously she did it. She had been so caught up in thinking she didn't realize they had made it to a Pokémon Center, or that it was close to sundown. And she especially didn't hear Paul until there was a snap of fingers. "Huh? Wha?" she responded unintelligently.

"I said we're stopping here for the night," Paul sighed. "Honestly, sometimes I worry about you. Where were you, Wonderland?"

Haley's brain pushed Cyrus aside. She didn't want Paul to think that the man was occupying her mind, and the only way to do that was to prove her witty blade hadn't dulled. "Yeah, fell down the Buneary hole," she said. "Thank goodness you brought me back. They were about to make me drink the shrink potion."

"Didn't Alice drink the potion herself?" Paul commented with a smirk.

"Not in my version."

"Ah, so you've taken up writing fan fiction, then?"

"Wait till you see what I've done to you."

Paul huffed but still had a slightly amused look on his face. "Don't even joke like that." Haley giggled.

The next morning, Paul woke Haley up early. Normally, she would complain, but it seemed that she had gotten a very good rest. They went downstairs and looked at the selection for the day. There was absolutely nothing Haley wanted, but Paul picked something for her anyway. Now they were sitting in a booth, and Haley grumbled at her Pokégear map as she ate her unwanted breakfast. "I didn't realize," she mumbled in between bites, "that the road to Hearthome is that long." She swallowed. "And I can't believe you are actually doing this. I don't even _like _oatmeal!"

"I told you I would make sure you ate breakfast even if it meant stuffing something down your throat," Paul stated.

"To be honest, I'd rather you be literal than metaphorical at this moment," she replied. "Kicking my shins? Really?" His foot touched her right shin as a warning.

"Keep stalling, I dare you," he warned with his familiar shit-eating grin.

Haley grumbled and quickly forced the slop (at least, it _looked _like slop to her) down her throat. "There. I'm done. Can we _go _now?"

"Sure," Paul said, shrugging and then slid out of the booth.

"I hate you," Haley grumbled.

Paul walked over to her, grabbed her wrist (he made she it was her right one this time), and yanked her out of the seat so that now they were in each other's faces. "Say that to my face," he whispered jokingly.

"As many times as you want," the girl retorted with a smirk. "I hate you."

"And I'm a brunette," Paul replied, matching the smirk. He then let go of her wrist and walked off. "Come on, let's get moving."

They were on the road again, and thanks to Paul's early morning rise, they had gotten pretty far down the road, and there was still plenty of daylight. Haley now had high hopes of getting to Hearthome City in four days unlike her predicted seven or more. That was, until a group of kids ran by going towards a nature park. "The Champion!" they sang. "We're really going to see the Champion!" And with Paul's eyes following them, Haley threw that new hope out the window.

"Okay, Mister Eager, let's go see the Champion," she said dryly.

She expected a witty comeback, something like, "It's been a while since you've given me a nickname", but Paul didn't say a word as he walked towards the park. It looked like he was going there with purpose, and she had no idea what was swarming through his head. Anxious, she followed him, not knowing exactly what to expect. They walked up a flight of stairs and were greeted with a crowd of Trainers and an alter of some sort. But more importantly, they were greeted with one of the most dazzling people Haley had ever laid eyes on.

The last three Champions she had met were Lance, Steven, and Wallace (she had been Steven's last challenger, and had talked with Wallace while the stone collector was recording her into the Hall of Fame). They all had a powerful aura around them, indicating their positions of being Top Trainers. But the female Champion didn't give that off. She gave off something calm as she licked away at her ice cream and ran her free hand over the stone she was in front of. Haley also found her very pretty, with her long blonde hair and her black trench coat, pants, and high heels. The teen looked at her in awe, wanting to stay where she stood for just a few more moments to admire her, but then she noticed Paul kept going. Towards her. And with determination. A horrible thought flashed through her mind and she ran after him, hoping to stop whatever stupid plan he had in mind.

"Hey Paul!" a familiar cheerful voice rang, stopping them both. Haley was actually relieved for the distraction despite the low tolerance Paul had for his younger rival. Speaking of which, Paul turned to look at Ash as he walked up. "Haven't seen you since Oreburgh," he continued, a smile on his face. It was clear that what Paul had said to him blew off and into obscurity. "So how many badges have you won? I've got two of them now!"

_Answer, answer, ANSWER! _Haley screamed, hoping Ash could get Paul to focus on something other than what she feared he was focused on. But of course, answering with a simple "One" would be too out of character. And too hopeful. "It's really none of your business, see?" he replied curtly and began walking again. Haley became even more nervous watching him do that.

Ash's face was filled with confusion and Dawn frowned, her hands now on her hips. "The same old same old," she mumbled.

Paul was getting closer, and Haley's stomach was doing somersaults. "Um...P-Paul!" she called in a desperate attempt. He stopped again. "D-Dawn has something to say to you!"

"I do?" the younger girl asked.

"She does?" Paul questioned, though it also sounded like he should have added a "huh" before the question mark. "Well, she can tell me later." And he started back up.

_Running out of time, RUNNING OUT OF TIME! _"Dawn, please!" Haley begged, her eyes and her voice showing desperation. "Do something! Anything!"

"W-why me?" she asked. "A-and what's wrong?"

Haley was about to reply saying there was no time to explain when Paul's voice rang out, "You're Cynthia, aren't you?"

"Shit!" Haley whispered.

"Language!" Dawn scolded.

Cynthia turned to the boy who had addressed her. "Yes," she replied sweetly.

"My name is Paul, and I'm from Veilstone," he introduced. "I'd like to challenge you to a battle." The park was filled with gasps, and Haley realized she had been right all along. She didn't like that one bit.

"Paul, are you crazy?!" she cried.

The challenger turned his head slightly so she could see his eyes, and for a second she swore they flashed with a look that screamed "Betrayal". She flinched, and quickly realized that everyone (minus the three behind her) were saying the same exact thing only...much more hurtful. They were scoffing, taunting, mocking, calling him insane. Right now, only four people were there who might believe in him, and only one was close to being considered a friend, although Haley wasn't sure if she had reached that status yet. And then she realized something else: despite his jokes last night and this morning, it was clear he still hadn't gotten over the meeting in Mt. Coronet. He was looking to blow off steam, not to mention he was on a winning roll, having beaten Roark, Mars, and Luna (plus a few Trainers here and there), so his confidence was probably at new heights. After their run-in with that gang in Eterna Forest, he probably felt like he had earned this, _needed _this, and so Haley gave in. She stepped back and threw him an apologetic look. He closed and opened his eyes, a way of nodding, before looking at the Champion again. She was contemplating on her answer with a smile, and she seemed to be going through some past memories. "It's been a while since I took a field challenge," she stated. "Are you competing in the Sinnoh League now?"

"That's right," Paul answered.

"I see," she said. She began walking down the stairs. "Then I'm assuming you transferred here from another League." She stopped a couple yards in front of him and wore a very big smile. "Fine then, I accept your challenge."

The park was once again shocked, and Haley knew that if she were in Paul's shoes, she would probably hurl from stage fright. Of course, when it came time to fight the Champion at the end of her journey she would be just fine but _now_, with only one fully evolved Pokémon in her belt, there was no way her legs would even allow her to stand, _especially _with all of the comments and snickers that were being tossed around. Then again, this was Paul. If he wanted to battle Cynthia right here, right now, no amount of jeering was going to stop him. "Is this why you were asking for me to do something?" Dawn asked. Ash had made room for Paul's traveling partner in between him and Dawn, and Haley at the moment didn't really care that their last meeting had ended up with an almost catfight.

Haley nodded. "I'm...a little nervous," she admitted. "But I can't stop him, and I won't. I shouldn't have tried."

"Do you mind if we battle with six Pokémon each?" Paul asked.

"No problem," was the response.

The crowd was at it again, one person very close to the group of four claiming Paul had no brains. "Wow, this crowd's giving Paul a tough time," Dawn noted. Haley knew that if any of these people were Jason or his cronies, he would be breaking, but to Paul these other Trainers meant nothing. _And I don't know if that comforts me or scares me, _she thought.

"That's true," Brock agreed. "But don't forget, this is Paul were talking about. I'm sure he's done his homework."

"Has he?" Dawn inquired.

Haley wondered for a split second who Dawn was talking to, seeing as how the fourteen-year-old was still trying to figure out how she felt about all of this. "Well...maybe, when I wasn't looking," she replied. "Or maybe when he was younger. To be honest, he hasn't mentioned Cynthia _once _to me. I didn't even know her name until Paul said it when he asked if it really was her." Her attention was suddenly drawn to the battlefield by a shift in the atmosphere. Cynthia had gone from calm and even slightly bubbly to the usual empowering one, the one that screamed, "YES! I _AM _the Champion! Now bow, my peons!"

"Then let's get this underway," Cynthia said. "Garchomp, battle dance!"

She threw the Poké Ball, and out popped a dark blue Dragon-looking Pokémon. "Gaaar!" she cried. Haley flinched at her superiority. Not even Lance's Dragonite or Steven's Metagross had made her do that. Then again, she hadn't met them until she battle them on center stage, and this time she was seeing the Champion's Pokémon when she only had two badges. Clearly, it made a difference.

"Whoa, there's Garchomp again!" Ash exclaimed and opened up his Pokédex.

"Garchomp, the Mach Pokémon," the computerized female voice explained. "When it folds up its body and spreads its wings, it can fly like a jet plane at the speed of sound."

"She's that fast?!" Haley shouted.

Paul wasn't fazed at the sight of his high-speed opponent. "Chimchar, stand by for battle!" Once again the chimp was on the field, looking determined. The battle with the blue haired Trainer had left him unsatisfied, and just like Paul, he was also on a winning streak. Confidence was the name of their game.

The Champion blinked and her mouth was wide open. "A Chimchar?" she noted with confusion.

Apparently Paul enjoyed the taunts the Trainers were throwing at him, because they were at it once more. It was as if he wanted to add fuel to the fire. "Even _I'm_ not so sure about this," Dawn whispered.

Haley might have agreed, if at that moment the kid repeated his no brains comment and then added a snicker this time. She wasn't really thinking when she suddenly shouted, "You can do it, Chimchar!"

"Haley?" Dawn asked, concerned.

"Hate to break it to you, Miniskirt, but your boyfriend just sent out a Pokémon with a terrible type disadvantage," the kid sneered.

The older teen looked at him and gave him an icy glare. The kid looked no older than twelve, and _this _was how he decided to treat someone older? "First off, Chimchar can," she snapped. "He's more powerful than you realize. Second, he's _not _my boyfriend. Third, _no one _disses the skirt, _especially _since it's definitely _not _mini."

"You know he has a point on the typing," Dawn told her as the kid blinked in surprise.

"Maybe, but you saw the Oreburgh Gym Battle too," Haley pointed out. "May I remind you of Elekid? And you should be seeing the combo Paul and Chimchar have been lately. They haven't lost since Chimchar fainted that day."

"So, do you think they'll win, then?" the Coordinator asked.

Haley dropped the smile that had grown. "I...I don't know," she admitted. She looked around the park. "I hope."

Paul's first attack was Fire Spin, used in a different way than in the Gym Battle against Luna. Instead of charging, Chimchar fired a spinning vortex out of his mouth, and hit Garchomp dead on. Brock and Ash marveled at the power, but then Dawn said, "But let's see if Fire Spin _does _anything."

The vortex went on, and Paul quickly took action. "Now Dig!" he ordered. Chimchar burrowed into the ground.

"We'll use Dig as well," Cynthia declared, and Garchomp did, despite still being caught in the vortex. Paul growled and Haley was holding her breath. The sinking feeling both of them had grew when the ground began to shake and the fire vortex popped out, with Chimchar being flung back and hitting the ground. He tried to get up, but the hit had been too much. Time slowed for the three as Chimchar fell back down. The chimp's world went black, Paul was frowning, and Haley tensed up.

For the first time in weeks, Chimchar had fallen.

And Garchomp, breaking out of the Fire Spin, looked as if nothing had happened.

"Boy, that didn't take long, did it?" Dawn gasped.

Haley looked at her partner, who was recalling Chimchar. The look in his eyes gave Haley one thought: _We're back to square one. _"You outta be ashamed," he said aloud, causing both Cynthia and Ash to frown.

Too bad they couldn't hear his thoughts.

_Damn it! _he shouted. _One attack?! And it's not even fazed?! I knew it, Haley was trying to stop me, and maybe I should have listened! Chimchar be ashamed? So should I! I sent him out, thinking that spark of determination would carry him through, but one attack?! I'm in way over my head! _His eyes scanned the crowd quickly. _Well, I can't back out now. Not yet. I have Weavile. And Torterra...That's it! I'll weaken it with Weavile, and if...uh, Haley said he, right?...Yeah, he. If he goes down, I'll bring Murkrow out. By then, Garchomp should be weak enough for Torterra to take it out. Maybe it's not showing it, but Fire Spin had to do _something_! _"Weavile, stand by for battle!" he shouted.

The Sharp Claw Pokémon, materialized. "Weavile!" he cried.

Now Dawn had a smile on her face, Haley finally not feeling alone. "Let's see how Weavile does," she said, pulling out her own Pokédex to get his information.

"I haven't seen Weavile in action yet," Haley stated as the voice ended. "But an Ice type-"

"Pokémon like Weavile against Garchomp is a good match," Cynthia said, drowning out the younger female. "Yes, a wise choice indeed."

_Was she...talking before I did or did she cut me off? _Haley thought.

_Did she just...cut someone off? _Paul asked himself. He mentally shook the question away. It wasn't important at the moment. "Blizzard!" he ordered quickly. The gem on Weavile's forehead glowed, and then snow came out of his mouth. Garchomp guarded with her fin, and didn't even flinch. _To a quadruple effective attack_. Paul was horrified. Now in his head he was screaming, hoping this was a bad dream, that he had conked out standing up. He was waiting for a pebble to fly and hit him in the back of the head, followed by one of Haley's quips. But when he secretly pinched his hand and felt the pain but nothing changed, he knew he had gotten into a hole he probably wouldn't be able to climb out of.

Meanwhile, the group of four was stunned, though definitely nowhere near Paul's level. "What...happened?" Brock questioned, not believing this. Yeah sure, Cynthia was Champion, but this was beyond insane.

"That Blizzard should have been huge but it did nothing!" Dawn added.

"Hacks, I call hacks!" Haley cried. Her anxiety was shooting through the roof, not just because of Paul's situation but because she was now thinking of her future battle. She predicted that breakfast she had wasn't going to stay with her for long.

"Dragon Rush!" Cynthia called happily, as if she enjoyed the awe she was putting the five through. Garchomp hit the Blizzard with her fin, stopping it, causing the challengers to gasp. They watched as the Dragon-Ground type grew a blue aura around her and dove straight for Paul's Pokémon.

Weavile was scared stiff. The power flowing from the move was overwhelming. He hated just standing there, not being able to move. Paul wasn't in the line of fire, but he could still feel what Weavile was. _If he's feeling what I am, there's no way he's dodging. _"In that case, Ice Beam!" he exclaimed aloud. His Pokémon fired twice, but Garchomp just dodged and rammed into Weavile. He fell to the ground, and it was the same thing as Chimchar. Paul recalled the fainted Pokémon. The Yanmas were back, but this time they weren't just scared and nervous. They were angry. Furious. _Livid_. "Murkrow, stand by for battle!" he shouted. As he watched his Pokémon materialize, he thought, _There's no way she's getting away with this! _First order, Haze, which Garchomp dodged, but Murkrow used that time to fly behind his opponent. "Sky Attack!" Paul ordered. Murkrow charged.

"Giga Impact!" the Champion ordered.

Something clicked in Paul's head. He smirked internally. "Here it comes!" he told his Flying type. Murkrow didn't falter and continued his charge, and the two Pokémon collided. As Paul predicted, Murkrow fainted while Garchomp was unfazed. But this time, Paul had a little bit of luck. He recalled the Darkness Pokémon, and decided to wear his smirk, accompanied by a chuckle. Cynthia was confused, as were the four Trainers close to him.

"Hold on, what's Paul smilin about?" Ash asked, vocalizing what they were all thinking.

"He lost three Pokémon with a single hit!" Dawn pointed out.

Haley was thinking. The image of Murkrow falling to Giga Impact weighed on her mind...

Wait...

Giga Impact?

"Dawn, I need to borrow your Pokédex." Before the pre-teen could respond, Haley snagged the pink device. Normally she hated touching anything pink, but now was an exception. She ignored the owner's cries of theft as she looked up Giga Impact. "I was right!" she exclaimed.

"Right about what?" Dawn and Ash asked, the former grabbing her Pokédex back.

"Watch," was the reply. And they did.

"Torterra," Paul began, smiling for the first time since earlier that morning, "stand by for battle!" He released his starter, who landed on all fours with a powerful _THUD_.

"Tor-terra!" he cried.

On the sidelines, Ash checked out Torterra's data, and his two friends commented on Paul's incredibly bad state. As for Haley, she finally felt relaxed, her realization giving her much needed reassurance. "Giga Drain!" Paul ordered, his smile still on his face. Torterra unleashed the vines, which wrapped around Garchomp, who hadn't even attempted to move a finger.

"A hit!" Ash noted.

"But I don't understand why Garchomp didn't even _try _to dodge," Dawn piped up.

Suddenly Brock had a realization. "Of course!" he exclaimed.

"So, you figured it out, too?" Haley stated with a smile. Both of the younger Trainers were confused.

"After a Giga Impact is launched," Brock explained, "it takes a while to recharge. So Paul _knew _that by using Giga Drain at _this moment_, he could sap Garchomp's power just long enough until Giga Impact could be fully charged up and Garchomp could use it again."

"Think of it as a physical Hyper Beam," Haley continued. "If Paul's own moves won't work, then he'll let Garchomp do the damage to herself instead."

Ash and Dawn now realized how the tides had changed into Paul's favor. "But why did you need my Pokédex?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know every move in the world, and Giga Impact is one of them, so I wanted to confirm my suspicion."

The Coordinator nodded and turned her attention back on the battle. "Giga Impact is a powerful move," Paul was saying, "but it's also one of Garchomp's weak points as well." He knew he sounded like he had this whole thing planned out, but in all honesty, this was a lucky break. _Not like I'm going to let anyone know that, _he thought. Giga Drain ceased, and finally, _FINALLY_, Garchomp sunk to her knees. _Ah Torterra, why didn't I bring you out first? _he beamed mentally. He figured he would need only one more hit, and he decided with something powerful. "Now use Frenzy Plant!" he ordered. Torterra glowed green and then stomped the ground. Thorny vines appeared and went straight for Garchomp. A cloud of dust appeared and ripped through the park, making everyone cover their eyes and brace themselves. Everyone except for Paul, who was still smiling, and Cynthia, who had been wearing a straight face ever since Garchomp had been hit with Giga Drain. The wind and the dust died down, and Paul expected a fallen Garchomp.

Reality had never been so cruel.

Garchomp was kneeling there, her fins stopping the vines and protecting her. She lifted one of them and glared. Paul gasped and stepped back. _No, no, _NO! he panicked. _Garchomp should have still been affected! So why, why, _WHY?! Then he noticed _Cynthia's _smirk and chuckle. _FUUUUCCCCK! _"Use Brick Break!" she ordered. Garchomp pushed the vines away and jumped, her fins glowing white. Even if Torterra _didn't _have to recharge, he wouldn't have been able to dodge. _Why didn't I use Leaf Storm?! _Paul cried. He watched helplessly as Garchomp slammed one of her fins onto his starter's head. He flipped over and then landed upright, only to shown to have fainted.

_ Just like everyone else, _Paul thought solemnly.

How could he finish this battle now? Yes, he had been the one to request a full battle and yes, he originally planned to go through with it, but Garchomp had dashed those plans away. He recalled his Pokémon. "I guess that's it," he said. That was all he had. He had put his best Pokémon forward. He was done.

Cynthia seemed to realize Torterra was Paul's strongest. "Guess so," she replied. She looked at her Dragon type. "Nice Garchomp, great battle." She smiled as she was recalled.

Haley was trembling slightly. This hadn't been fair, it was a total sweep, and the Champion was saying "Nice battle"?! Patronization was the _last possible thing _Paul needed right now. Of course, the crowd didn't care for that fact. They were at it again, and her rage was boiling, threatening to explode. These..._worthless_ Trainers didn't understand a _damn _thing about him! They didn't know what she did about his past and what had happened in the last week. When some kid cried out "What a loser!" and everyone started laughing, she snapped.

And so did Ash.

"Knock it off!" they both shouted. They looked at each other, Haley a little confused, until she noticed the glint of respect in his eyes. No matter how badly he had been beaten, Ash admired the fact that Paul had the guts to challenge Cynthia like that. Just as Haley was finding some respect of her own for Ash's maturity, he ran off towards Paul. _Crap, _Haley thought. _He's going to try and congratulate him. _As if losing this badly wasn't already a blow to his pride.

"I'll tell you, Paul," Ash said as he walked the rest of the way, "it was great."

Paul quickly glanced at him before looking back at Cynthia, causing Ash to frown for being rejected. He was too annoyed with the battle to think of a reply to him. He wasn't even sure on what to say to Cynthia. "Well, I'll work on it and try again," he stated.

"I'll look forward to it," the Champion replied.

He bowed. "Good bye," he said, and then turned. Haley watched him walk before quickly following him.

"Paul?" they heard Ash say. Paul ignored him. "Hey, wait! That's not where the Pokémon Center is, you know."

_It's not? _Haley asked. _Had we passed it and not realized? _But with the way Paul was walking, Haley realized he didn't want to be in a public place. He only stopped when Cynthia said, "Paul, hold it right there" in a demanding voice. "Brining injured Pokémon to a Pokémon Center," she lectured gently, "is a Trainer's first responsibility, you know."

The teen didn't respond to her. "Haley..." he muttered.

The need in his voice was overwhelming. "Paul, I know you don't want to be around people right now," she began softly so that only he could hear. "And I would gladly give them Sitrus Berries, but I think we should." When he didn't reply, she gently grabbed his shoulder. "No one's going to pester you. You have my word. But we can't deny the Champion."

He was silent for a few more moments before saying, "Right", loud enough for Cynthia to hear.

Satisfied that the young Trainer listened, Cynthia led the way, with Ash right next to her. Paul growled, but Haley tightened her grip a bit. "I won't even let him," she promised.

He looked at her, and she flinched again. _Why have his glares been doing that lately? _"Tch. Whatever," he grunted, and followed after them. Haley followed after him, with Ash's two friends ending the group.

"Did...I do something wrong?" Haley asked Paul timidly. She hadn't done that in years.

"What makes you think I'm thinking you did?"

"You just seem annoyed with me, and I want to know if there's a way to fix it."

"Not unless you can time travel."

Haley gulped. "Paul, I didn't mean-"

"To doubt me like everyone else?" He scoffed.

"Okay, yes, I did. I won't deny that. But it was for a spilt second, I promise."

"Of all people..." he muttered. Then he looked back at her. "And _this_...why couldn't you just say you would take care of it?"

"She's been giving me the feeling of Ninjasks in my stomach all day," Haley whispered sheepishly. "I've never met a Champion before battling them. It's intimidating. And besides, I promised. You know I keep my promises."

Paul snickered. She didn't like that. "That's why all you could think about yesterday afternoon were questions about Cyrus."

"N-no, I-I was-"

"Do you think I'm stupid?" he interrupted, narrowing his eyes. Haley gulped. _Why is he acting like this? _Before either of them could say anything, the Pokémon Center appeared. Paul huffed and walked faster to catch up with Cynthia.

Haley felt like disappearing. The witty comment he had made the afternoon before had been a cover up, an attempt to keep his anger down. He probably would have been successful, and the whole thing would have blown over, if he hadn't lost, angering him again. She stood in front of the Pokémon Center, not noticing that Brock and Dawn had caught up. "Haley, are you okay?" the former Gym Leader asked.

She looked at him. "Yeah," she replied. "What makes you say that?"

"You look...kind of down," Dawn stated.

"No, I'm fine," she reassured and walked in. The two friends looked at each other and then followed her inside.

Timing couldn't have been worse. Nurse Joy needed to perform surgery, so she wasn't available to help. Haley was about to voice doing it herself, but then Cynthia beat her to it. Then she was going to volunteer to be her assistant until a love-struck Brock butted in. _Guess I'm of no use here, _she thought sadly. "Haley, are you all right?" Paul asked. "You look antsy."

Haley definitely didn't want to say what was on her mind. "Just gotta use the bathroom," she replied. _Oh God, _that _excuse? He'll never fall for it._

Paul shrugged. "The room were using is down that hall," he said. "Meet us when you're done." And he walked off after the group.

She watched the five of them go. "So he wasn't dense last night, but he is now, huh?" she muttered sadly. "Being the sixth wheel sucks." And she went to find a bench.

Meanwhile, Cynthia was treating Paul's Pokémon. Doing it the old fashion way was taking a while, and after marveling at her vast knowledge, Dawn looked around the room. "Hey, where's Haley?" she noted. Cynthia had finished putting Chimchar to sleep and was about to move on to the two Dark types. However, she stopped her actions and studied the room along with Ash and Brock.

"Something about the bathroom," Paul stated nonchalantly.

Dawn suddenly became furious. "Are you that dense?!" she shouted.

Paul was taken aback by the sudden shout. "What do you mean, if she has to go-"

"That was, like, 20 minutes ago!" Dawn pointed out. "Did you ever think for a second that she, excuse my language, feels like crap and is trying to distance herself?!"

"Why would she do that?" Ash asked.

Paul shrugged. "I wouldn't know," he said. _Aw shit, it's because of what I said. And then she probably wanted to help out but felt like there would be too many hands._

The Coordinator huffed. "Well, unlike you, I'm going to go find her and figure out if something's wrong," she said. Nose in the air, she spun on her heels and went to find the older Trainer. It wasn't that hard, seeing as she didn't have too many places to go. And wouldn't you know, she was sitting on a bench in the hall across from the one Dawn was in. "Hey," she piped up, grabbing the attention of the sulking girl.

Haley looked up. Her eyes were red and puffy, and it was the only way Dawn knew she had been crying, since the older Trainer had wiped away the streaks and she didn't wear any make-up. "Is Cynthia done?" she asked quietly.

"No, Murkrow and Weavile are going to get treated," Dawn explained. "I noticed you were missing and went to find you."

"Oh," Haley said. Then she chuckled. "Guess you didn't fall for the bathroom excuse."

"Men are idiots," the other female grumbled and sat down next to Haley. "Paul's such a jerk. He just waved it all off like your feelings are nothing."

The Trainer didn't reply. "I'm sure he didn't," she finally said.

"If that were true, he'd be out here."

"I would agree, if we were talking about anyone other than Paul."

Dawn looked at her and blinked. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"If I tell you what I'm about to tell you, can you keep it a secret?" Silence. "Please, Dawn, it's personal to him." Now the younger girl was wide-eyed. She nodded. "He doesn't want to seem weak," Haley began. "Imagine what he would feel if he went to come find me and consult me right in front of your eyes. Paul has already lost so much today, he'd probably break, especially since he knows why I'm acting like this."

"It's his fault?" Dawn inquired.

"And I bet he feels guilty, though he's not showing it," Haley added. She sighed. "I wish you could see what he's really like."

There were a few moments of silence. "What _is_ he like?" the Coordinator asked.

"Witty. He makes a lot more jokes than you'd believe. Sort of childish." She giggled. "You should see him and honey. That just equals disaster." Dawn laughed. "And he really does care for his Pokémon, in his own weird way. I know it's hard to see if you only meet with him every once in a while, but he does."

"So...do you like him?"

"I want to become friends," Haley admitted. "With Paul, you have to take small steps. I've learned that, and I think that's one of the reasons he doesn't get along with Ash. He wants to be friends with him so quick but Paul...he doesn't really trust people anymore, considering most of them gave him shit." She eyed Dawn. "And no, I don't care about language. That's the only word to describe his past."

Dawn's eyes became dinner plates. "Now I see why I have to keep this a secret," she said. Haley nodded, and there were a few more silent moments. "Still doesn't excuse him for being an asshole to you."

"I see I'm slowly corrupting you, my young padawan," Haley commented with a smirk. Dawn laughed again. How was it that she ever hated this girl? Oh yeah, she had jumped to conclusions about Paul's traveling partner. Then she noticed the smirk faded. "I think his behavior has to do with an incident yesterday."

"What happened?"

"We met this man in Mt. Coronet," Haley explained. "He must have done and said some things to Paul in the past, because it was clear Paul didn't like him. Then the two had a private chat, and the next thing I knew Paul was furious. He told me to forget him and to not think about him. And ever since, Paul's been on edge. Battling Cynthia was a way to blow off steam, I think, and well...you saw the results."

Dawn absorbed the information. She sighed. "Great, thanks," she mumbled. "I _want _to hate Paul for being a jerk, and yet I can't help but feel guilty if I _do_." Despite her annoyed tone, there was a mischievous spark in her eye.

"You're welcome," Haley joked. Then she yawned. "Man, I'm tried for some reason."

"Crying will do that," Dawn informed. Haley whipped her head, looking scared.

"Did...did you guys hear me?"

Dawn shook her head. "Your eyes are red," she explained. "That's how I knew."

"Oh, thank goodness," Haley sighed. "_Don't _scare me like that, Dawn. I don't want Paul to feel any worse." Then she yawned again. "I also think my anxiety has caused this dilemma."

"Anxiety?"

"Cynthia. I have to battle her at the end of the Elite Four Run. If she's _that _powerful...ugh, I don't even want to _THINK_ about how badly I'll do."

"You have like, what, six more badges to go?" Dawn replied. "You're only starting. I'm sure you'll do fine. Don't stress yourself out so early."

"Oh don't act like you don't think of the Grand Festival and _don't _start getting Butterfrees in your stomach."

"No, I get Beautiflies," Dawn stated. The girls laughed, and then Haley rested her head against the wall. "You take a nap. I'll get you when everything's done."

Haley gave a thumbs-up that immediately drooped as she went off into dreamland.

The next thing she knew, Haley was lightly shaken out of her sleep. "Wuzzat?" she muttered, blinking in hopes of getting the sleep out of her eyes.

"Cynthia said there's something all of us should see," Dawn said gently. "Come on, sleepy head."

Haley groaned. "That was, like, five minutes," she protested as she stood up.

"You might want to add twenty minutes to that," Paul stated. He, Ash, and Brock were crowded around with Dawn while Cynthia was near the door. He was side glancing her, Haley still in his line of sight but he was also looking away. It was clear he felt bad.

"Yeah, yeah." Haley yawned. "But after we see this thing, I'm crashing on the couch until we're leaving."

"But you already slept some," Ash pointed out.

"25 minutes is nothing," Haley replied before the five kids followed the Champion. The woman led them to the park and showed them the stone tablet she had been admiring earlier.

"The words that are written here," Cynthia began, "completely changed my life. Listen while I read them." There was a pause before she said, "'When every life meets another life, something will be born'." Ash and his friends repeated the words to get a better grasp. "When I was younger," Cynthia continued, "I use to dream of nothing other than becoming powerful through being victorious in battle, and so I trained endlessly." Haley would have inserted a witty remark right there, and Paul guessed she would and knew what it probably was too, but both of them stayed silent. "Then I discovered that, even the same _types _of Pokémon have unique personalities. It was at that moment, I decided I wanted to get to know each and every one of them better. And then, after meeting more and more Pokémon, learning more of their ways, something completely _new _began to stir deep within my soul. I learned that meeting new Pokémon was just like meeting new people." She turned and faced the younger Trainers. "I'm sure because of our meeting today something powerful has been placed in each one of us. Something important. Something that will make us stronger in our own ways."

Haley thought about everything the Champion had said. She had zoned out when Cynthia started talking about her dream to meet Dialga and Palkia since she believed it was a little off topic, but that was beside the point. _Something that will make us stronger in our own ways, _she repeated in her head. She quickly glanced at Paul. It was if those words were _made _for him. Now the group was walking back, and the couch was eagerly calling Haley. But things could never be that easy, could they?

"Come back!" they heard Nurse Joy yell. "That's not your Chimchar!"

The group stopped, confused, and noticed two humans and a Meowth running away. The purple-haired one had Chimchar in his hands. "That's Paul's!" Ash realized.

"And Team Rocket's got it!" Dawn added.

_Chimchar! _Paul shouted. He took off after the three. _Damn it, damn it, damn it! _The others followed behind him. "Stop!" Ash yelled.

"Give Chimchar back!" Dawn shouted.

"Or you'll be sorry!" Brock threatened.

The three jumped into the bushes, and soon there was a Meowth-shaped balloon in the sky, with the three in the basket. "Now you take your lumps!" they sang tauntingly.

"Huh, déjà vu," Haley commented.

Paul looked at her. "You've...met these losers before?" he asked.

"Huh?" Haley blinked. "Oh, no, they just remind me of another group I know. It's not important."

"Right," Paul said.

"Oh dear," Cynthia's voice full of concern as they watched the balloon ascend.

"I'll take that as a compliment," the male stated.

"Any dear from you means fear to us," the Meowth added.

...Wait.

The Meowth added?

"What the fuck, he talks?!" Haley exclaimed.

"Language, young lady!" the female scolded.

"Gotta keep it PG for the kiddies," Meowth stated.

"But I thought this was T for teen," the male pointed out. His partners looked at him, and then Chimchar waking up distracted them. The group on the ground watched as the three cooed at him and the chimp looked absolutely confused. After a while it was clear Chimchar didn't care for their pointless banter and scorched them.

Ash clearly had enough of this too. He brought out a Poké Ball, but Paul beat him to it. Chimchar was _his _Pokémon, after all. "Ursaring, stand by for battle!" he shouted. The Normal type emerged, and then Paul ordered, "Hyper Beam!" Ursaring fired, and just before it made contact with the balloon, Chimchar jumped. Haley, not caring that the trio was "blasting off again", sprinted and dove, catching Chimchar before he hit the ground, and tumbled into the trees as a resulted. She hit her head on one of them, causing her to groan a little.

"Chim-Chimchar?" the chimp asked with concern.

Haley smiled, rubbing the top of her head. "Don't worry," she replied. "I'm more concerned about you." Chimchar smiled as well, and then the Trainer stood up, the Fire type in her arms. She walked out and was met with Paul ending his run up to her.

"Is-"

"Just fine," Haley reported.

"And you?"

"What would be wrong with me?"

"I saw that tree shake." Then he smirked. "Oh wait, I forgot. You have such a thick skull, you probably did more damage to it." Haley rolled her eyes and was about to joke back when she noticed the look in his eyes, and it was aimed at Chimchar. "To be captured by a bunch of losers," he scoffed. "Useless!"

Chimchar looked down, ashamed. "How could you be so mean?!" Ash exclaimed.

"Chimchar was _sleeping _when Team Rocket took it!" Dawn added. Then she remembered her talk with Haley. What if Paul was just trying to hide how he really felt?

She was getting the hang of Haley's perspective.

_Damn it! _Paul was thinking. _Of all the times I had to be away...and with no one watching, either! Haley could have stayed there; we didn't need to bother her! Or, at the very least, let one of her Pokémon watch them so she could sleep! Hell, let one of _my _Pokémon watch them! I'm so _stupid_! _"Okay, that's enough," the Champion's voice rang. "The important thing now is that Chimchar's safe and sound. Dear, sweet Chimchar." Her hand went up to his cheek, and he smiled. The other three voiced an agreement, with Dawn going first, making Haley a little bit happier.

She could see Paul's guilt, and it was eating at her.

What had he done to deserve to crap thrown at him today? All he had done was get pissed off at some guy who clearly liked pushing his buttons.


	10. Chapter 10: One of Those Days

"And Chimchar?" Nurse Joy inquired.

"I can take care of him," Haley insisted. "All he needs is sleep and a Sitrus Berry, I'm sure." The nurse looked at the Pokémon. Her trained eye scanned him, and then she looked at Haley. She nodded in approval.

Cynthia had proposed that the partners stay the night, for the sake of Paul's Pokémon. At first, it had looked like he wouldn't agree, but then he rethought that. "Well, alright," he had agreed. The two Trainers walked back, and Paul grabbed the other three Pokémon and then handed them over to Nurse Joy. Now, with that business taken care of, Paul figured they had other matters to attend to. "Let's go get dinner, and then bring it upstairs," he stated.

Haley looked at him. "What's wrong with eating dinner down here?" she asked. His eyes began to scan the Pokémon Center, and she noticed the Trainers from the crowd earlier. They hadn't been present after the battle, but it seemed quite a few of them had ventured back. "Ah yes, the peanut gallery," she noted dully.

They walked over to the food corner and ordered something. And while they waited, trouble reared its ugly head. "Oh, that _is _a nice one you found, little bro," someone said. Paul and Haley turned to the voice. It was the kid from earlier, along with a blond-haired boy who looked like him but slightly older.

"Thanks, Sam," the boy beamed. "Though why she's with that loser is beyond me."

"Look, you little shit," Haley hissed as she sat up. "You better back of. I am _not _afraid to kick your ass."

"Aw, don't go saying that to my little brother," Sam said slyly. "He's just saying the truth, Beautiful."

"Well I don't see _you _walking up to the Champion to challenger her!" Haley snapped as she stormed up to him.

Sam snickered. "If I recall, you thought he was stupid too, just like the rest of us."

"She worries about me too much sometimes," Paul interjected. He felt bad for getting mad at Haley for what was, he realized, a reasonable reaction to have. Plus, he wanted to shut this guy up. This was the second time this week someone had tried hitting on her, and for reasons he couldn't explain he hated it. He walked up to them, Chimchar at his heels. "Is that hard to understand?"

"What's hard to understand is your stupid decisions," Sam stated, nodding towards Chimchar. He then began, in a mocking voice, "Oh, let me send out a Fire type, and then use a Fire type move on a Dragon type. That'll work perfectly." He and his brother laughed.

"Fire Spin does damage over time, moron!" Haley defended. "Besides, typing isn't always everything. I beat Lance's Dragonite with an Eevee, and then with a Typhlosion."

"Babe, you have to stop standing up for this idiot," the mocking male replied. He suddenly grabbed her waist and pulled her close, but just as quickly as he had his hands around her, they were off again. Paul had thrown him off her and then to a wall, pouncing at him to make sure he didn't go anywhere.

"Touch her again," he threatened, "and I promise I will break _every _bone in your body."

Sam looked at his brother. "Yo, Liam, what the hell?" he asked. "I thought you said they weren't dating."

"Because she told me," the pre-teen defended.

So now Paul was left to wonder whether he should tell the truth or start a charade. He was about to enact his plan when their order number was called. "Just leave us alone," he hissed before throwing Sam aside. He spun and stormed off, snatching the food before making his way to their room. Haley and Chimchar, after glaring at the brothers, quickly followed him. They got to the room just as Paul unlocked the door and opened it. Haley quickly snatched the food, set it on the desk that was on the opposite side of the room, and sat on the bed that was across from it, Chimchar in her lap, before Paul screamed in frustration. He punched the wall and then kicked it.

Haley let him go at it, cussing and assaulting the wall, for a full minute before she calmly said, "Words, Paul. I need you to explain in words other than cursing the high heavens if I am to help. I think I know everything that's bothering you, but can you tell me anyway?"

"You already know!" Paul spat. But he went on anyway. "That bastard Cyrus, the most humiliating loss _ever_, those three losers, and that's the second guy, _the second guy_, Haley! Fucking Arceus, it's annoying as shit!"

His partner took a deep breath. "Can you sit on the edge of your bed for me?"

"Why?!"

"Just sit down, Paul." He grunted and sat down, his arms crossed. "Take off your jacket."

"What?"

"Take off your stupid jacket."

Paul grunted again and unzipped his purple jacket and took it off, and then threw it onto their bags that had been thrown carelessly onto the floor. He crossed his arms again. "Now what?" he asked, still annoyed at not knowing what was going on. Suddenly she climbed onto the bed, kneeling behind him. He quickly turned to look at her. "What the hell are you-"

"Face forward, shut up, and relax," Haley demanded.

"Not before-"

"God, Paul, I'm trying to help, but you have to cooperate with me."

Now he let out a low growl. "Whatever," he grumbled and did as he was told, though relaxing was an issue. He had no idea what she had planned and it was making him a little tense. Then she gripped his shoulders and he jumped a little. He was about to protest with whatever was up her sleeve until she suddenly began to knead the backs of his shoulders with the bottom part of her palms. She was...massaging him? And oh God it felt amazing. He let out a little moan. "That feels gooooooood," he said.

"Glad you like it," Haley replied. "Now, how about we start from the top, and calmly this time. Tell me about Cyrus."

"I don't feel like revealing more of my past."

"That's fine. Whatever you feel is essential is fine by me, even if it's a simple 'I hate his guts, end of story'."

Paul let out a "hmph" of amusement. "He's a bastard," he stated. "Likes to threaten Reggie and I. Don't ask about what, I won't tell."

"Like I said, that's all I need," Haley responded, continuing her massage. She got another moan for her efforts. "If you feel like telling me later, that's all up to you. Okay, next. Cynthia."

"I just needed to blow off steam, although I assume you knew- wait, right there, a little harder." Haley had traveled her right hand to below his shoulder blade, and to his request she massaged it a little harder. "Yeah, that's it," he sighed. He completely relaxed; his arms (now on the bed) were barely holding him up as he let Haley do the stabilizing. "And my confidence was pretty high. Although, you were right, I was crazy. I didn't really think that through."

"You had every right to be angry with me on that," the masseuse said.

"No, _you _had the right to call me out," Paul argued.

"Not with everyone else ganging up on you. And don't say it didn't affect you, I'd call bullshit," she added quickly.

"Guess it did this time," he admitted. "But unlike them, you were saying it because you cared, not out of malice. And I snapped at you for no reason."

"Bullshit."

"What?"

"No reason, my ass. Childhood, ring a bell?"

Paul chuckled. "Damn it, you know me too well already. It's only been a month, two at most. How the hell do you do it?"

"A girl's got her ways," Haley answered. She fell silent for a while and focused on the massage. Paul had to try and keep his mind focused, but it was getting hard to do so. He was at least able to keep his mouth shut so that his increasing moans were slightly muffled. "Now, Team Rocket."

"Should have been there-"

"We were somewhere else, and I think Cynthia was right to show us that stone slab. You can't be in two places at once, Paul."

"We could have gotten one of our other Pokémon to guard them," Paul pointed out.

"Would've, should've, could've, didn't, so don't beat yourself up about it," Haley said. "Like Cynthia said, the most important thing is that everyone is safe."

"Chim-Chim," Chimchar agreed.

Paul looked at his Pokémon. He had kind of forgotten the chimp was there. _But who could blame me? _he thought. _This massage is just so fucking amazing that I can't really focus on anything else but her movements and her voice. _He sighed. "I'm sorry, Chimchar," he said. "I've been a little stressed lately. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

Chimchar nodded in understanding. "It happens to everyone," Haley voiced. "Even though it's not right."

"Right," Paul stated. Then Haley massaged a pressure point, and the kneading sent a shiver running through his entire body. He couldn't keep his mouth closed any longer and let out a loud, elongated moan. "God damn it, Haley, why...mmm...why are you so fucking good at this?"

Haley chuckled. "Think you could keep that down just a tad? People might walk by and think we're doing something..." She leaned in and whispered into his ear, "Dirty."

Another shiver ran through his system, but he kept his cool and chuckled as well. "Let them think that," he whispered. "I'm sick of guys jumping for you."

"Why?" Haley asked, backing away and slowing her hands down. "That's the one thing out of all of this that I haven't really been able to read. I guessed Cyrus said things and that you wanted to blow off steam and that you felt like you should have been there but...why this?"

Why _did _he care that much? He had been wondering that himself. Paul put more weight on his arms since most of Haley's stability had gone away. "I'm...not really sure myself," he admitted.

"Is it because you think it's a distraction?" Haley offered.

Was that it? He couldn't really say for sure. "Maybe," he replied.

Haley sighed and ceased her work, then backed up so she was leaning against the pillow. Paul turned to face her to see that she was taking off her bandana and letting her hair down so she could run her fingers through her hair. "Tomorrow morning's going to be a disaster," she said. "That Sam guy wasn't the only one eyeing me, though I don't think you noticed."

There it was, that feeling again. His blood boiling and racing as if he were about to erupt but...why did that happen? This was the third time now, and he didn't understand why it happened. Suddenly, he remembered what he had wanted to do in the food corner. He smirked. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about them," he stated.

"You have something in mind?" Haley asked. Paul told her, and after he was done she and Chimchar were laughing so hard tears were rolling down their faces. "Paul, you're a fucking genius!" his partner exclaimed.

"So I assume that means yes?"

"_Hell _yes!" she cried. Then she looked at Chimchar. "I'm sorry you don't get to be apart of this, Chimchar."

The chimp shook his head, signaling it was okay. But Paul had other plans. "Actually, he will," he said. The two threw him curious looks, and he continued to explain. Now Chimchar looked pumped.

"Chim-Chim-him-char!" he chattered.

"Tomorrow morning's going to be _sooo _much fun!" Haley chuckled.

Paul chuckled as well. "Hey, do you think you could massage me again sometime?" he asked.

"Only if you're stressed out like that again," the masseuse replied. "I use to give them to my dad and my older brother when they were flipping out, and once I did it to my older brother when he wasn't. Apparently I'm too strong and I can't soften my kneading. So now it's a stress-relief tool only."

Another chuckle escaped Paul and he crawled over to her. "Well I thoroughly enjoyed it," he whispered.

"So I heard," Haley said smugly. Then she let out loud, exaggerated moans that soon turned into a laugh. It died down, and then she smiled. "You should wear your jacket less often," she stated. "That dark gray fitted t-shirt of yours looks really good on you."

Paul was thinking of how to respond to that. Legit or keep playing the game? He smirked. Of course he knew which one to pick. "So I take it you like what you see?" he asked.

"I'd like if I could see more," Haley purred with a smirk and half-lidded eyes. Clearly she liked playing the game, too.

"Chim?" the chimp piped up innocently. The Trainers looked over to him to see a confused look on his face.

Haley's eyes opened fully and she smiled. "So, what did you think of rehearsal, Chimchar?" she asked.

Chimchar looked surprised, and flustered to figure out an answer. Eventually he gave a thumps-up. "Chim!" he exclaimed.

The girl groaned jokingly. "One thumps-up, Paul. Pathetic."

He smirked. "Hey, we can't put our best foot forward when it isn't even the main act," he stated. "Alright, Flirtatious, off my bed." He pushed her off, sending her tumbling to the floor. "And can you get my food for me?"

She stood up, her cheeks puffed. "Asshole," she muttered. Haley walked over to the desk. "I shouldn't be doing this, you lazy ass. I give you a massage and this is the thanks I get? And who are you to call _me _'Flirtatious' when you're the one whispering in my ear."

"Well you're the one pulling the half-lidded eyes," Paul replied.

Haley ignored him for a while as she fished a Sitrus Berry out of her backpack. "Take slow bites, Chimchar, and then get some sleep," she told the Pokémon as she set the berry down in front of him. "You can use my bed and sleep with me tonight."

"Chim," he said, nodding, and then went to eat the berry.

"And you," she addressed Paul, "were the one you took my genuine compliment the wrong way."

Paul smirked again. "If you didn't want it to sound flirtatious, you shouldn't have added the fitted part. And by the way, it's dark blue."

"Since when are you an expert?" He shrugged, making Haley roll her eyes. "Whatever. And I say it's a dark bluish gray. Here's your food." She dropped the box that held his dinner onto his bed. "And don't you even _dare _and ask for me to feed you."

"What made you think I was? That sounds stupid."

"People do it, don't ask me why."

"Well I'm not one of those people, alright?"

"Good."

They ate in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. Chimchar finished most of the berry and then fell asleep curled up next to Haley. She ran her hand up and down his back for a while, and then went to take a shower. Paul lied in his bed, looking up at the ceiling and listening to the running water. He began to feel his eyelids drooping. _Maybe this wasn't the best idea, _he thought. He tried to keep himself awake, but only succeed in drifting off to sleep.

...

"..ul...aul...PAUL!"

The sudden yell jolted him awake and he crashed onto the floor. "Ugh, what?" he mumbled.

"I've been trying to wake you up for the past five minutes," Haley replied sternly.

"What time is it?" Paul asked as he stood up.

"8:30."

"That's early."

"You've been asleep for more than twelve hours." When Paul blinked in confusion, Haley sighed. "I came out of the bathroom at eight last night, and you were already conked out," she explained.

"Huh," was his reply. "I'm going to take a shower, then, since I didn't last night."

Haley shrugged. "Do whatever." And then she went back to Chimchar, who was on her bed and looking very, very close to 100% again.

Paul grabbed his jacket off of the floor and went into the bathroom. 10 minutes later he emerged, his jacket back on and his hair dry. And, as Haley noticed when she turned, he had a smirk on his face. "You ready to make some bastards jealous?" he asked.

"Actually, I've been thinking," Haley began. "What if no one is down there?"

"They will be."

"And how would you know?"

"Intuition," he replied. Then he looked at his Pokémon. "Chimchar, you feeling okay?"

Chimchar looked pumped. "Chim-Chimchar!" he exclaimed.

His Trainer smirked again and then returned the chimp to his Poké Ball. "Let's go get the other three," he said. "And don't start until I-"

"Paul, I know the plan," Haley chuckled. She grabbed her backpack. "Let's go. I want to make it to Hearthome sometime this century."

Her partner let out a grunt of amusement and they left the room. They walked over to Nurse Joy, who said all of Paul's Pokémon were at 100% (including Chimchar; Paul had brought him out just to make sure and then returned him right after). They turned and began walking, and Paul noticed Sam eyeing Haley. Then he noticed all of the other eyes on the girl next to him. Looking around the lobby, he couldn't believe it. Guys were smiling like idiots, studying every inch of her, or both. He even saw one boy drooling. And upon seeing him, Paul set the plan in motion. His arm wrapped around Haley and grabbed her right shoulder. It was a total douchebag move, and he remembered seeing a few couples on his journey and rolling his eyes, but now he was enjoying it because he was getting the best reactions. He almost broke the façade to roll on the floor laughing. When it was clear he had gotten their attention (the kid from earlier wiping his drool gave him the cue), he squeezed her shoulder. She rested her head on his chest and snuggled.

Something unexpected happened.

Electricity...that's what it felt like, and he should know. It ran through his entire body, spreading from the center of his chest to every tip of his body, just like when Braxton had shocked him with that device of his all those years ago. But unlike those 20,000 volts, this electricity felt nice. Really nice. He almost jumped and gave a weird face, but if that happened the act would be over, so he just gave off a smile as he pondered why Haley's action had done that to him. Then five boys (one of them Sam), blocked their way, and they looked pissed. He smirked. Now the fun part could begin. "Oh, hello, is there something you need?" he asked in a pleasant way, which succeed in making the five of them even more agitated.

"What the hell is this?" Sam asked, speaking for all of them.

"Is there a problem? 'Cause I don't see the problem of a guy putting an arm around his girlfriend." Paul had to slightly force himself to say _that _word. It wasn't like he hated Haley or the word, but they weren't even friends (_At least, I think that's the case, _he thought), much less was she his _girlfriend._

One of the other boys, a redhead, spoke up this time. "But Liam said you two weren't-"

"Oh, that," Paul interrupted. "See, we just started last week, and we actually use to be at each others throats, so she's not quite use to this." In a way he figured his explanation wasn't a total lie. The first few minutes they knew each other they were arguing pretty bad, and he figured the "we just started" was as close to "we're not actually dating" that he could get.

"Fine then, we challenge you to a battle for her!" proclaimed a black-with-red-streaks haired boy.

_That was quicker than expected, _Paul thought, smirking internally. He figured it would come to this, and he really didn't like that idea because he tried to treat women with respect (annoyances got an exception). He recalled the discussion he and Haley had last night.

* * *

><p><em>"The one problem I have is that they'll probably ask to fight for you," he had said.<em>

_"Normally, I wouldn't either, but I can handle an exception this once," Haley had replied. "I'm thinking of a plan to deal with it, anyway, and it goes along with this fake couple thing we're doing."_

_"Care to share?" Haley explained. "Not bad," Paul had agreed. "I'm still not entirely comfortable about all of this, though."_

_"You want to fight them anyway to show your actually strength, why not? Right Chimchar?"_

_"Chim-Chim."_

* * *

><p>With that Paul agreed. He was still going to voice his discomfort with the situation. "Haley isn't an item, you know," he stated.<p>

"Farfetch'd, Grape-Head?" another blond taunted. **(A/N: Yes, I am using Farfetch'd in replacement to chicken. Thanks to a review by a guest, I did remember that the Torchic line is based off of a chicken, but I just don't see Torchic, Combusken, or Blaziken as an insult. So unless someone has a suggestion, I'm leaving it as Farfetch'd.)**

Paul really wasn't angered by the taunt since these five boys didn't really matter to him, but he decided to act as if he was. He forced his eye to twitch and made his face into a scowl, and he was about to speak when he felt a tug at his arm. He looked to see Haley with a spark in her eye. "Paul, I'm okay with it," she said with a smile. "Besides..." She then proceeded to run her fingers through his hair. His body began to heat up and spread from end to end just like the electricity, and once again he had to resist jumping, instead settling on relaxing because that's what her fingers were doing: making him feel relaxed. They ran through so smoothly. "I _love _watching you battle," she purred. _Damn it she sounds so...so..._ He didn't want to think of the word despite the fact that he knew what it was.

He watched the five boys' irritation grow. He smirked. "Alright," he agreed. "But only because you make such a great persuader." When he said "persuader", he put quite the emphasis on it, hoping the boys would catch his meaning.

Judging by their expressions, they got it alright, and if looks could kill, Paul would be dead ten times over.

"But we play by my rules, since this is my girlfriend were fighting for," Paul stated, stepping forward after Haley stopped. "I will fight all five of you, one at a time. You can only use one Pokémon, but I get four."

"Four?" Sam repeated.

"That's all I'll need," Paul sneered.

"Yesterday-"

"I fought the Champion. Today, I fight _losers_." Their eyes widened, only to go to furious looks.

"You're on," Sam snarled.

The seven, along with a crowd that had gathered, found themselves at the park again. In the walk over there, thanks to the five boys trying to talk to Haley (resulting in Paul having to pull her away), they found out that they were all friends. _And they're _all _trying to get her? _Paul questioned. _What the hell are thinking of? A six-some? _He then immediately beat himself mentally for thinking of such a stupid idea. Besides, he had a battle to focus on. The first boy (the black-with-red-streaks; apparently his name was Jamie, but Paul hadn't paid much attention) was up first, and it was Paul's Murkrow versus his Dodrio. The three-headed bird charged using Fury Attack, but Paul had Murkrow blind it with Haze. "Faint Attack!" he ordered. Murkrow disappeared from sight.

"On guard, Dodrio!" Jamie advised. With three heads, that meant six eyes were scanning for the Darkness Pokémon. But there was one place it would never be able to look.

Paul smirked. "Watch your back," he warned. The comment confused his opponents, and they were even more confused when Murkrow appeared behind Dodrio, charging with a white aura.

"Sky Attack?" the boy asked in confusion and shock as his Pokémon was struck in the back by it. "But you used Faint Attack-"

"As a distraction," Paul finished as Murkrow flew to their side of the field. "It's a little trick I learned after watching someone battle recently." He and Murkrow had been working on this combo ever since Haley's Gym Battle with Gardenia, and "Combo Master" was there to give them pointers. From Paul's perspective, it was pretty close to being perfect.

"Tri Attack!" Jamie ordered angrily.

"Faint Attack once more!" Murkrow disappeared just as the attack was about to hit him.

Jamie grunted. "Look _everywhere _this time!" he yelled. "And jump when he charges with that Sky Attack of his!" Paul smirked once and made a "tsk, tsk, tsk" noise.

"Honestly, never use the same trick twice in a row," he advised.

"Hey, don't go stealing my lines!" Haley yelled just as Murkrow reappeared in front of Dodrio, starting it, and then ramming into it. Dodrio fell to the ground, fainted, and Jamie growled at Paul.

"Next," was all Paul said.

It was now Brett, the redhead, and his Arcanine versus Weavile. Paul sighed. He liked the Growlithe line just as much as the next guy, but he had dealt with one love-struck idiot using it, and now he was stuck with another. "Fire Fang!" Brett commanded. Arcanine sprung into action.

"Dodge and use Swords Dance while you do so!" Paul ordered. Weavile sidestepped Arcanine's Fire Fang and making his claws longer as his feet moved. Both Pokémon were fast, but Weavile proved to be a bit faster as he kept ahead of Arcanine. "Night Slash, let's go!" Weavile spun to face the oncoming Fire type, then charged, jumped over its head and onto its back, and slashed with his glowing purple claws. Arcanine let out a yelp of pain and crashed to the ground and, thanks to the Swords Dance along with Night Slash's higher chance of critical hits, fainted. Paul chuckled at how it fell rather quickly and Weavile jumped to be in front of him, a smirk on his face.

"Wea-Weavile!" he jeered, causing Brett to growl.

Now it was Daniel, the other blonde's, turn. His Vigoroth was up against Torterra. And that battle didn't take long, either. Vigoroth tried using Slash but was blown away by Leaf Storm, and then was finished off by Rock Slide. Next was the fourth boy, a brown haired boy named Chad, and his choice was a Marowak. Chimchar was Paul's fourth and final Pokémon, and Chad looked like he figured something out. "You've been using the Pokémon that used yesterday!" he noted.

"Thanks, Sherlock," Paul commented, causing Chad to growl at the insult and then angrily order Bonemerang. The Bone Keeper Pokémon threw its bone, which Chimchar dodged with Flame Wheel and then used it to hit Marowak. He used Flame Wheel right after breaking out of the first, and then jumped back. The Ground type had been so distracted it didn't notice its bone coming back and failed to catch it, instead getting hit square on the forehead, knocking it out.

Sam didn't take the fact that all of his friends had lost so well. "I can't believe all of you lost to _him_," he spat. "Fine, I'll handle this. Golduck, show 'em how it's done!" The blue Duck Pokémon materialized and stared at the chimp. Chimchar flinched when looking at the Water type, but quickly recovered. The quick flinch didn't go unnoticed by Sam, however, and he snickered. "Aw, is wittle Chimchar scared?" he mocked.

Neither Paul nor Chimchar reacted to his comment. "Dig, let's go," Paul ordered calmly. The chimp clawed his way into the ground.

"Water Pulse into the hole!" Sam shouted. Golduck jumped and formed a water sphere in its hands. But when it went to fire it into the hole, it only stared with a look of shock. "Yo, Golduck, what's wrong?" _The fact that I'm seeing something I shouldn't_, the Pokémon thought. What he saw was a smirking red chimp.

Chimchar hadn't planned on going anywhere.

"Fire Spin!" Chimchar released the spinning vortex, which hit Golduck dead on and evaporated the Water Pulse. The Water type fell to the ground, engulfed in flames. "Scratch, let's go!" Chimchar jumped out of the hole and charged at Golduck, slashing at him with sharp claws.

Sam growled. "Water Gun!"

"Dodge!" Chimchar ducked under the shot and then threw a punch to Golduck's side. That along with the earlier attacks and Fire Spin's effect sent the Duck Pokémon to his knees, and then Chimchar finished the job with one last Scratch attack. When Golduck fainted, he and Paul smirked.

_Flawless victory._

The five boys didn't know what to say. Their faces fluctuated from irritated to disappointed to defeated and then circled to the beginning again. It went on for some time until they settled on a new face: annoyed. "I don't buy this," Daniel grumbled.

"Buy what? That you lost spectacularly?" Paul sneered as he returned Chimchar and Haley walked up to him. "We have a whole crowd of witnesses if you need confirmation."

"He means _this_," Brett stated, pointing at Paul and then at Haley and back again. "And I agree. This seems set up."

"Jealously clouds the mind," Haley replied. "I mean, how you mistake this as being set up?" Then she kissed Paul's cheek.

Fireworks. That's what the sensation that was currently traveling up and down his spine felt like. It was like fireworks popping and crackling along his nerves. He was struggling to not drop the act, fearing any second he'd do something stupid. Quickly composing himself mentally, he smirked, turned to her, and titled her chin up gently with one finger. "Oh come on, you can do better than that," he said smugly. Haley giggled.

"Okay, okay!" Sam exclaimed. The two looked at the group and watched as Sam sighed in defeat. "Sorry for trying to steal your girl, man. And sorry for doubting you about it."

Haley looked at him. "That's not all you need to apologize for," she said.

"You can't be serious," Jamie said flatly.

"I don't know if Sam told you, but I'll say it again: at least Paul had the guts," Haley retorted. "So _apologize_."

The five boys sighed. "We apologize," they groaned.

Paul wondered if Haley would be looking for a better apology (not that he cared), but she just rolled her eyes. "Whatever. That's the best we're going to get, I guess. Let's go..." She winked at Paul. "Love. Hearthome won't come to us." Paul smiled as she walked away, then smirked at the boys before following her. And when they were far enough away, the pent up freak out moment finally exploded.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Paul cried frantically.

"They weren't going to believe us if we just kept saying it!" Haley retorted.

"I wish you had at least _warned _me!" He let out a cry of frustration. "I almost looked like an idiot!"

"Almost only counts in horseshoes," was the witty reply. Paul let out another cry and then slammed his head against a tree. Haley watched as Paul rubbed his forehead and then ran his fingers through his hair. She sighed. "Though, I guess you're right," she continued. "I should have warned you. But it was a reactionary decision. They weren't going to believe us for much longer, and I just came up with it on the fly. Look, the point is, I'm sorry."

"No, no, it's fine," Paul assured, finally calming down. "It just caught me off guard." He turned to look her and smirked. "Besides, I had fun."

"Oh, you did, did you?" Haley chuckled. "And I bet you're somewhat pleased your Pokémon got some training in, right?" She didn't wait for an answer as she spun on her heels. "Let's get moving. Like I said earlier, I would like to get to Hearthome some time this century."

Paul nodded and watched her take the lead. He waited for a few seconds before following, the smirk still visible on his face.

It was one of those days. Those days that made him feel like nothing else would go wrong.

...

A face-twitching Paul plus occasional grumbling equaled a not good sign, and Haley knew it. She knew that she had to think of something to lighten the mood, and fast. "_Let it go, Let it go, Can't hold it back_-"

"Keeping singing that song and I _will not _hesitate to hurt you," Paul snapped. There was silence before he added, "Badly."

"Alright, alright, sorry," Haley stated. "But seriously, can you just forget about that Fearow?"

"No I can't 'just forget about that Fearow'," he repeated mockingly and slightly annoyed. "It looked strong, I wanted it, and they made it flee, end of story." He stuffed his hands into his pockets and mumbled in an annoyed tone under his breath. Haley grumbled. This was getting old. When he didn't stop after a minute or so, she snapped and slapped him upside the head. "Ow! What the hell?!"

"That incident was two days ago!" Haley shouted. "You have been irritated about it since then, and I'm sick and tired of it!" She huffed and rubbed her right temple. "Now if you don't shut up, _I'm _going to have to use that duct tape."

Paul rolled his eyes. "Do you seriously believe I have duct tape?" he asked.

"I will _make _duct tape appear if I have to!"

"Will you stop thinking about the stupid duct tape?!"

"Only if you stop thinking about the stupid Fearow!"

"WELCOME TO HEARTHOME CITY!" a little boy randomly cheered. Since they had been so absorbed in their argument, the partners were caught off guard and tripped over each other, tumbling to the floor, with Paul on top of Haley's back. The boy slid over to the pile and blinked. "Are...you two okay?"

"I've had better days..." Haley whined quietly.

Paul picked himself up, letting Haley have the ability to stretch. "Did you really have to yell?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

"I'm welcoming tourists," the boy declared. "What's wrong with that?"

There was silence, and then it broke when Paul sighed. "Whatever. Do you know the way to the Gym?" After a round of confusing directions, a woman (the boy's mother) walked up and gave them understandable directions. Haley said thank you, Paul bowed (and then glared at the boy, only to receive another slap upside the head), and the two went to the Gym. It was hard to miss: a four-story building with a Drifblim on top and a very elegant door. But when they got to said elegant door, they found a not-so-elegant note tape to the door that said the Gym was-

"CLOSED?!" Haley screeched.

"Bullshit!" Paul shouted. "What is it with Gym Leaders and not doing their jobs?!"

"Technically, Roark was at his job," Haley stated. "He also works in the Oreburgh Mines, and he came back rather quickly."

Paul huffed. "Fine, sure, but does that excuse _this_?!" He pointed to the note, which described that Fantina was going on a journey of her own.

"I never gave this an excuse, I was excusing Roark," Haley replied, a little growl obvious in her voice. The two bickered for a while until finally Haley took a deep breath. "You know what, we just need to calm down. We didn't stop until really late last night and we've been walking all morning." Under her breath she mumbled, "And _someone _still isn't over his Fearow."

"I heard that," Paul grumbled. "Don't think your comments are helping."

"Anyways, I think I have an idea. There was this café-"

Paul turned and began walking to the Pokémon Center (at least, to where he thought it was). "No," he said flatly.

"You didn't even let me finish!" Haley cried. "And how do you know that's the way to the Pokémon Center?"

The purple-haired teen stopped. "I don't," he admitted with no change in tone.

Haley face palmed. "Listen. I saw desserts on the menu, and one of the items I saw was chocolate lava cake." She was staring down the street they had just come up, so she didn't notice Paul straitening up. "It was just down that road, a little ways back. I don't know about you, but whenever I need to calm down, chocolate helps me out quite a bit." She looked at Paul, finally noticing he hadn't moved. "Hey, are you okay?"

There was silence, and then he turned around, his eyes wide. "Chocolate...lava cake?" he repeated.

His partner stared at him in disbelief. "You and your sweets..." she finally whispered in shock. "Well, if that's what works, I guess we should go."

"Just show me where the café is," Paul grumbled, feeling stupid for sounding like a child. But Haley saw the glint in his eyes, and to that she gave off a tiny smile.

"Sure," Haley replied.

They walked back down the road, and soon found the café. Noticing the chalkboard and seeing the various items, Paul gulped. "Damn it," he whispered.

"What?" his partner asked.

"I just hate how much of a child I am when it comes to sweets."

"So am I."

Paul smirked. "The difference, however, is that you almost _always _act like a child," he stated.

"I resent that," Haley said. "And I'm doing something nice for you, so the last thing you should be doing is insulting me." Paul just shrugged and walked inside. Haley rolled her eyes and followed him.

The café was a little dimmer than the one back in Floaroma Town, but it still had that homey feel. In fact, to Paul, it felt more comfortable. No windows so no one could look in, a guitar quietly playing on the speakers, the wood was a dark brown instead of white, and there was even a bar in the back. And speaking of the bar, that's where the two decided to sit. Paul didn't have the nervous feeling in his stomach like last time, and he wasn't sure if it was because of the atmosphere or that he had gotten more use to Haley's company. When the man behind the counter asked what they wanted, Haley replied wondering how big the lava cake was. "Enough to share between the two of you," he answered.

"Then we'll take that," Haley stated.

"Do you want me to cut it in half?"

"You don't cut chocolate lava cake in half!" the two teenagers cried, causing the one other customer in the café to jump. The waiter blinked and then hurried off to place the order.

Haley suddenly giggled. "What's so funny?" Paul asked.

"Well, two things. One, that we said the exact same thing and two, how _are _we going to spilt this?"

Paul opened his mouth, about to say that there was nothing wrong with eating the same cake, but then he closed it. He was silent for a few seconds. "Um..." he said, and then he sighed, deciding to stick to his original plan. "We'll just eat it. Nothing wrong with that." Then he looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "Unless you're sick and I somehow didn't notice and or wasn't told."

The girl next to him shook her head, a smile on her face. "Nope, nope," she replied.

"Ugh, now I'm thinking of a girl version of Zach," Paul groaned. "Thanks for that." Haley laughed.

A few minutes later, the cake came out along with two forks. The waiter asked one more time if they were sure they didn't want it spilt, but that only got another cry of protest, and this time the other customer chuckled. The waiter glared at him. "Yeah, just keep laughing, Clyde," he warned. "I might make you treat us next time we go out for a drink."

"Clint, you wouldn't," his friend jokingly gasped.

Haley laughed again and took the first stab. "Hey!" Paul snapped.

"I'm paying, so I get first bite," Haley reasoned. Paul grumbled as the piece went into her mouth and then went for his own piece, which was quite big. "Hey!"

Paul just smirked as he took his bite. "What can I say?" he said. "Chocolate lave cake is my favorite."

"You're lucky I'm so nice," Haley mumbled.

"Yeah man, you should treat your girlfriend nicer," Clyde chuckled.

"No, no, see, that was eight days ago," Haley joked.

Clyde raised an eyebrow, and then he went, "Oooh. You guys played a prank?" Haley laughed to confirm. Clyde laughed, too. "Ah man, that's one of the oldest tricks. My wife and I did that when _we _were younger."

"Your wife?" Paul asked.

"My best friend at the time," the man explained. "She's a beauty, kind of like her." He pointed at Haley as he said that. "Guys couldn't keep their eyes off of her, and it was pissing us off. So we pulled the play. And the more we did it, the more I fell in love with her."

"And you've regretted it ever since," Clint taunted.

"I only regret her cooking," Clyde replied. Haley giggled. "So if Chocolate guy ain't your boyfriend, who is?" he asked.

_Chocolate guy? _Paul repeated in his head. _Add a "Mister" in front of that, and that's a nickname Haley would come up with. _"I don't have one," Haley stated.

"You probably have a celebrity boyfriend," Paul joked with a smirk on his face. "Let me guess, Fiorello Cappucino like every other girl?"

Haley flicked his arm. "Far from it, Mister Chocolate Guy," she stated. _And there we go, _Paul chuckled. "I don't see what's so great about him. The other girls can have their Romance star. Steven Stone...now we're talking."

"The former Hoenn Champion that _you_ beat out of his spot?" Paul said.

"He was going on a journey, regardless if I beat him or not," she informed. Then their forks clashed going for the last piece. "Oh no, Mister, that's _mine_," Haley challenged.

Paul smirked once more and quickly grabbed the cake with his fingers. Haley's jaw dropped as he put it into his mouth. "I don't think so," he replied smugly.

His reward was a glare. "That's it. I'm _so _done doing nice things for you." Paul chuckled and Clyde laughed as Haley grumbled incoherently while she paid. Then she sighed. "Well, guess we should get moving. The next Gym is in Veilstone City, right?"

"Guess so seeing as some Gym Leader doesn't want their position," Paul stated.

It was Clint's turn to laugh. "That woman is quite the traveler," he explained. "She's always looking for a new style of battling."

"So she does this often?" Haley asked.

"And frequently pisses off Trainers like you two," Clyde added. "Hey, if you guys are looking for battling, there's a tournament coming up in two days. It's called the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition."

The two turned to him. "A Tag Battle Competition?" Haley repeated.

"Yep. Happens every year right after the Contest. Sometimes Coordinators compete if they lose in the Contest, though it's very rare."

Paul's gears were turning. "Are there strong Trainers?" he asked.

"Almost always," Clint replied. "Are you thinking of competing?"

"Possibly," Paul answered.

Haley tapped her finger on the counter. "...No," she finally said.

"No?" her partner questioned.

"Think if we were paired," she reasoned. "We would cream the competition so bad they'd all fly into next month. And besides, I'm not a huge fan of tournaments. I'll watch them, but I rarely participate."

_Maybe that's why she does the Elite Four Run, _Paul thought. "Your loss," he said aloud. He hopped off his stool. "I'm going to go train."

"Because of course you will," Haley stated. "Clint, do you know where the Pokémon Center is so my power-hungry fri...partner doesn't get lost?"

Paul could have sworn she almost said "friend", but decided not to say anything. Clint told them where the Pokémon Center was, and Haley told him he would meet him there since she wanted to explore. Paul shrugged and walked off. He went to the battlefield that was right behind the Pokémon Center and released his Pokémon. They looked at him. "We have some preparations to make," he told them. He looked at all them, but he looked at Chimchar the most. "We have a tournament to win." Everyone nodded, especially Chimchar.

But for whatever reason, the chimp couldn't shake this terrible feeling that was racing through his stomach.

...

Two days later, and the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition was upon everyone. Paul had signed up and was handed a card that had the number "5" on it. "Aw, two spots away from being in the top three," Haley joked. Paul rolled his eyes at his partner's corny joke. Despite his lack of enthusiasm, the chocolate had help quite a bit, although it seemed to be running out. But all things considered, today was a good day.

An hour later they went to the stadium, where they spilt up, Haley to the bleachers and Paul (with Chimchar and Elekid by his side since they were the ones who were going to appear the most) to the battlefield. Soon the MC and Mayor, Enta, came onto the stage and made his opening speech. Of course the purple-haired Trainer tuned most of it out, seeing as what he was here for wasn't a sappy speech. Then the MC hit a red button, and numbers appeared on the brackets on the jumbo-tron scoreboard. Paul noticed his number was in the "H" block and matched with "15", whoever that was. _I just hope they aren't pathetic, _Paul thought. Enta instructed the Trainers to find their partners, and Paul began wandering around, looking for Number 15. He then noticed a familiar-looking Pikachu sitting atop a very familiar-looking Trainer's head. _Oh, please no... _But of course, bad luck had to be on his side. The card Pikachu was holding read "15". He sighed mentally. _I _REALLY _need to start knocking on wood_, he thought with a scowl on his face. "Of course _you_ had to be number 15," he scoffed.

"And I'm ready to win!" Ash exclaimed happily, turning around and not noticing Paul until he opened his eyes. His face turned into that of surprise and then to a frown. "Hey Paul," he greeted dryly, not liking the situation any more than Paul.

Haley, of course, noticed this since she was sitting in the front row. She huffed. "Umbreon?"

"Um?"

"Remember how I said the chocolate had been doing good, and that today was a good day?"

"Um."

"I think all of that chocolate finally drained, and I take back what I said: today's _not _agood day."


	11. Chapter 11: An Uncivil Game of Tag

A few moments of intensity flowed through the air, but if you weren't Ash, Paul, Brock, Dawn, or Haley, you wouldn't be able to tell. Finally, Paul broke the silence by crushing his card. "Of course, I have no choice," he stated in an annoyed tone. He then pointed at his partner. "You just make sure you don't get in my way!"

"Hold on!" Ash exclaimed. "That is _no _way to talk to your tag battle partner!"

* * *

><p><strong> (AN: The voices again. In all honesty, this one makes sense. And I think for this and the next chapter I'm just going to integrate it into normal dialogue. Just remember that the humans don't understand them...) **

* * *

><p>Pikachu, however, didn't want the two to argue. "Ash, come on, don't do this," he pleaded. He jumped off of Ash's shoulder and walked up to Elekid. "Hey Elekid, what's up?" he asked happily. Sure, the two were as big of rivals as their Trainers, but maybe the two Electric types could show them a thing or two.<p>

Elekid looked at his rival. _Seriously? _he thought. But he decided to play a little trick. "Not much," he replied happily, chuckling a little. It sounded happy, but underneath it was a hint of smugness. Elekid held out his hand. _Oh he's so gonna get it._

The Mouse Pokémon fell for the nice act and extended his own paw. But just before they connected Elekid flicked Pikachu's forehead, sending him back to Ash's feet. Pikachu, of course, wasn't pleased. "Oh well, _excuse _me, punk!" he snapped, his cheeks giving off electricity.

The prong on Elekid's head gave off electricity as well. "Sorry I don't associate with losers!" he mocked.

_That _got Pikachu's blood boiling. He was ready to release a Thunderbolt. "Hey, Pikachu!" Ash called, not wanting a battle right here and now. He ran over and grabbed Pikachu "Cut it out!" But it was too late, and he ended up getting shocked by the attack. He crumbled to the floor.

Pikachu ran up to his best friend. "Ah, I'm sorry Ash!" he cried. "I didn't mean to!"

"Wow, you sure are strong these days," Ash said in pain.

Elekid, meanwhile, was snickering. _Now _that _was hilarious! _the Electric type thought. Paul didn't agree. _Great, I'm partnered up with an idiot, not that I didn't already know. _"Just pathetic," he said aloud.

Ash was on his feet again and growling. But when Enta started speaking again, Ash forgot about his rude rival, and Paul ignored everything again. That is, until he heard the chime of Soothe Bells. He looked to the stage and saw two in the Mayor's hand. _Wait, _that's _first place prize? _he asked. _You'd think it be money or Poké Food but this...why am I wasting time here again? Oh yeah, training. _He quickly glanced at Chimchar. The training for the past two days for the chimp had been...awkward. For some reason, Chimchar wasn't as confident with his battling as he had been, and Paul couldn't help but wonder why. It couldn't have been his battle with Cynthia; he had gotten over that. The MC announced that the battles wouldn't begin until later that afternoon, and he figured he would use that time to figure out what was wrong with his Fire type. He began to walk off. "Paul, where are you going?" Ash asked.

"None of your business," Paul stated.

He heard Ash growl again as he continued to walk. "Paul!" he heard. He looked into the bleachers and noticed Haley and Umbreon jump down. "Don't tell me you're seriously thinking of training more," she sighed.

"There's not much more I can do for now," the competitor replied. He looked at Chimchar, and this time the chimp took notice. "There's been something that's been bugging me for a while."

"About Chimchar?" Haley clarified as the five started walking out of the stadium. "What about him?"

Chimchar tilted his head, then turned to Elekid. "I...didn't do something wrong, did I?" he asked.

"You always seem to," Elekid sneered.

The Fire type flinched, and Umbreon glared. "Elekid, I know you and Chimchar are about as close as you and Pikachu, but you can at least _try _holding your tongue," she scolded. Elekid rolled his eyes, but Umbreon ignored him and turned her attention to Chimchar. "Don't worry, buddy," she assured. "It's probably something small, like a little correction that's needed in your form or something. Haley and I do it all the time."

"R-right," Chimchar said.

"I think it's something with his confidence," Paul stated, not noticing the whispers of their Pokémon. Chimchar and Umbreon whipped their heads, and Elekid gave a confused look.

"Confidence?" Haley repeated. "Why confidence? If anything, his confidence is higher than ever. Unless..." She suddenly scooped Chimchar up. "This is your first tournament, right?" Chimchar looked at her, his mouth open, and then nodded slowly. Haley looked at Paul. "What if it's stage fright? I mean, there are about two thousand people here, maybe more."

"You can't be serious," Paul replied flatly. "There's no way you're suggesting one of my Pokémon has stage fright."

"Y-yeah, that's not it!" Chimchar cried.

Haley looked at the chimp when he had his sudden outburst. "Apparently not," she said. "Okay, then what?"

So they went to the Pokémon Center, which was actually across from the stadium, and sat at a table, trying to come up with ideas on how Chimchar was different. All of their ideas got shot down by the chimp, even Umbreon's and Elekid's (although his were very rare). By idea 50 Chimchar was getting irritated. "Maybe there's nothing wrong with me, and everyone's just paranoid," he mumbled.

The female Trainer rubbed her temples and then suddenly sat up straight in her chair. "Chimchar, what if the problem is that you sense something bad?" she piped up.

All heads snapped to her. "Uh..." Chimchar said stupidly. He nodded as he replied, "Y-yeah." There was silence, and then Paul slammed his hands on the table.

"Really?" he asked. "The reason you've been off your game is because you _think _something bad _might _happen?" He narrowed his eyes. "Are you suggesting we might lose?"

Chimchar jumped. "I-it has nothing to do with losing!" he declared, shaking his head and arms furiously.

"I don't Chimchar thinks you guys will lose," Haley said, pointing at the panicking chimp.

"Then what is he so worried about?" Paul cried. No one answered, not even Chimchar, and Paul threw his hands up in defeat. "Fine, I give up. We have some part of the problem figured out, so I guess that's something." He leaned in towards Chimchar and looked him right in the eyes. "_Don't_," he began, "let this feeling of yours get in the way, understand?"

"Y-yes, sir," Chimchar stated.

Elekid snickered. "Knowing you, you will anyway," he said.

"Okay, you know what..." Umbreon growled. She used Faint Attack and sent him flying towards the wall, but just before he hit it, the Moonlight Pokémon used Psychic and held him in place. She ran up to him and stared at him with narrowed eyes.

"Hey!" Paul exclaimed as he and Haley shot out of their seats. "Haley, what the hell?"

"Umbreon doesn't do that unless she feels it's necessary," Haley defended. "He _has _been snickering for a while now. He must have finally made her snap."

"Okay, maybe he deserved it-"

"Whose side are you on?!"

"But I kind of need him."

"Chimchar's up first, right?" Haley reasoned. "I'll make sure he's fine before he fights."

Umbreon chuckled darkly. "Hear that? That means I get to teach you a lesson."

Elekid narrowed his eyes, matching hers. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

"Who are you anyway, his mother?"

"At least I care more than you do, oh supposed teammate."

The Electric type unleashed a weak Thunder on purpose, catching Umbreon off guard but not making her release her hold (_Damn it! _Elekid thought), even after she became paralyzed. Of course, thanks to her ability, Elekid became paralyzed as well (_Double damn it!_). Haley and Paul sighed. "Idiots," they mumbled.

"Can we just have a damn Cheri Berry?" Umbreon mumbled.

Chimchar watched as the female Trainer walked over and scolded them, told Umbreon to release Elekid, and gave them Cheri Berries only after they promised to be civil. The chimp sighed. "This is going to be a long day," he told himself.

The tournament finally began (all too slowly for our group of five, who were dealing with tension between Umbreon and Elekid), and the first match was Dawn and her partner Conway versus Alyssa and Paxton. Dawn's team demonstrated the real meaning of teamwork, since Slowking was there to provide defense while Piplup attacked. They won their match easily, and of course her friends were impressed. Even Haley (she had been allowed to be in the competitors' box thanks to Paul), this being her first time seeing Dawn fight, had to admit Piplup was actually somewhat good. "They're unstoppable!" Ash commented.

"Doubting yourself already?" Haley joked.

"Can't a guy make a statement?" Ash stated with a smile. Then he turned towards Paul. "You know, we should be doing that too, Paul." Suddenly, he and Haley had to duck from an oncoming Flamethrower. "Hey, what was that for?!" Ash exclaimed.

"Give Chimchar your suggestions," Paul shot back, looking at his Fire type and desperately trying to ignore Haley's glares. _Man, I don't think they've _ever _been this intense, _he thought. _Oh please make it go away._

Ash stood up from his crouch position, as did Haley. The younger male complimented Chimchar's Flamethrower (a move he had learned the day before, replacing Fire Spin), but his rival debunked it, calling it weak. "I thought it was great," Ash stated. He began walking over to Paul. "Hey, why don't you let us help you out?"

"Sorry," Paul retorted, obviously not meaning it, "we don't need your help."

That sparked an argument, and the two went back and forth, one saying that they had to work together and the other refusing to do so. Even Pikachu and Elekid got in on it. "Sounds like you've forgotten the _purpose _of this competition," Dawn piped up, and all four boys looked at her. "Fact of the matter is, both Trainers and Pokémon have to constantly think about _each other_ in a tag battle."

"Paul barely thinks about himself," Haley interjected.

"You know I _could _get you kicked out of here," Paul said.

"Oh you better not!" Haley exclaimed, walking up to him. "Not after you almost scorched me!"

"It wasn't on purpose," he argued calmly.

She raised an eyebrow. "'You know, we should be doing that too, Paul'," she mimicked, and pretty well, too. "Next thing you know, _FWOSH_, fire aimed in our direction. You keep telling yourself that wasn't on purpose and I'll keep rolling my eyes." Paul rolled _his _eyes. "And Dawn's right, you know. I understand that you two don't get along-"

"Putting it lightly!" Dawn called.

"But you can't just act like there isn't someone standing next to you in that box. So assuming you guys want to make it somewhere, I would suggest you stop arguing and starting working." She rubbed her head. "Not to mention it would stop all of us from getting headaches," Haley added.

"Hey, _he's _the only one who doesn't want to corporate!" Ash accused.

"True, but _you _would rather work with anyone else, and that results in you getting unfocused," Haley stated. "So just try and act civil. It won't kill either of you." _Oh, who am I kidding? _Haley thought. _They wouldn't act civil if they were the last two people on Earth._

"Maybe try remembering what Cynthia said," Dawn said.

Paul looked at her. "When every life meets another life, something will be born," he repeated perfectly. Then he turned and walked away, needing space, even from Haley.

"Hey Paul, why did you enter this thing in the first place?" Ash asked.

_Should I answer that? _Paul thought. He sighed mentally. "To meet Fire type Pokémon," he answered before walking away.

Ash repeated that, and Brock figured out what he meant. "He used Pikachu's Thunderbolt to power up Elekid's Thunder," he explained, reminding (and in Haley's case, just explaining) them of Ash's first battle with his Sinnoh rival. "This time it's exactly the same. Paul's planning to use his opponent's Fire attacks to juice up Chimchar's."

"Makes sense," Ash stated. "But I sure don't like it."

Haley groaned. "I need water," she said. Piplup, thinking it would help, unleashed a Bubblebeam on the female Trainer's face. She let out a scream in surprise, and when it was all over she moaned in slight pain. "Thanks for…trying," she mumbled before crashing to the floor, causing the trio (and Dawn and Brock's partners) to sweat drop.

A few battle later it was Brock and his partner Holly. The two also demonstrated teamwork, although it was less tactful. Still, they won pretty easily, and to Haley it also seemed that they were bonding on an emotional level, too. She laughed quietly, and then noticed the sudden shift in atmosphere. She looked around and noticed Ash and Paul staring at each other intensely. She sighed. _Stubborn Tauroses, _she thought. The two walked onto the field to participate for the last match of the day, as did their opponents Stefano (a researcher, to which Haley flinched; she hadn't had the best track record with researchers) and Dalton (he actually looked very experienced, just like Paul wanted). Ash's choice for the first battle was Pikachu and Paul's was Chimchar. On the opposite side, Stefano sent out Rhydon and Dalton sent out Magmar. "Get ready, Paul," Ash said. "This could be tough."

Paul sighed internally. "With Pikachu, tough is right," he stated.

Ash turned to him. "Chimchar's not such a great match," he shot back.

"Who asked you?" Paul sneered.

In the competitors' box, Conway predicted that Ash and Paul would most likely lose. "Hey!" Haley exclaimed.

Conway chuckled. "I'm just stating the facts, Cutie," he said.

A shiver went down Haley's spine, and Paul saw it out of the corner of his eye. _Not this again, _he thought. _That nerd is just lucky I'm not over there right now. _He then mentally slapped himself. _Why do I keep thinking about this?_

Back on the sidelines, Dawn cleared her throat. "I believe in Ash just as much as you believe in Paul, Haley," she reasoned. "But Conway is kind of right about the terrible type match ups." She then looked at the battlefield. "And the Trainer's match ups aren't much better."

Haley sighed. "Right..."

Enta announced the beginning of the battle, and Ash was quick to go first. "Let's show that Magmar a thing or two!" he declared. "Quick, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" His trusted partner unleashed the attack, and it flew straight for Magmar, only to at the last second be drawn to Rhydon's horn.

Stefano smirked. "Now Rhydon, use Mega Horn!" he ordered. The Drill Pokémon charged and slammed in to Pikachu, sending him back.

"Don't know Rhydon's special ability, huh?" Paul criticized.

"Ability?" Ash repeated. "You mean...Lightning Rod, right?" He sighed. "Damn it, not again," he said so quietly no one, not even Pikachu or Chimchar, heard him. Or, at least, he thought no one heard him. But Paul picked it up.

_Did I just hear him...swear? _he thought. _No, him? Please. I've got to be hearing things. _"Forget it, you're just in the way," he stated.

"Give me a break!" he shouted, sounding a little more angry than usual. _What got into him? _Paul asked himself. "I don't care what you say, I'm in this tag battle too, you know?" _Oh good, he sounds normal...I don't know if that's better or worse._

"Magmar, use Lava Plume!" Dalton commanded. Suddenly an explosion covered the battlefield, hitting Rhydon as well (not that it mattered because of typing), and was going straight for Pikachu and Chimchar.

"Chimchar, let's go!" Paul ordered.

The chimp looked back. "Right!" he exclaimed and jumped to the smoke and flames.

"Ah, Chimchar, wait!" Pikachu cried.

The opponents were just as concerned for Chimchar's safety, and Ash simply ordered Pikachu to dodge. Now the chimp was by himself, taking in as much fire into his body. His tail of flames became bigger. "Chimchar, Flamethrower!" his Trainer commanded.

Chimchar unleashed the flames right at Rhydon, but even to Chimchar the flame looked weak. _Oh, come on! _he shouted. Meanwhile Rhydon just put up his arms and blocked it. _Oh, double come oh! _"Hammer Arm, go!" Rhydon put out the Flamethrower and swung his arm at the chimp, sending him flying.

"Oh, triple come on!" Chimchar shouted, and then landed on his feet, Rhydon still coming for him. "Stupid, stupid, STUPID!" he muttered. Paul, of course, had no idea that Chimchar was criticizing himself, and took him just sitting there as laziness. _The hell is he doing? _he thought, grunting.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail now!" Ash suddenly shouted.

Pikachu descended from the sky at a fast rate. "Taaaake this!" he cried as he slammed his tail onto Rhydon's forehead.

Stefano grunted. "Heads up!" he warned his partner. "Though Pikachu may be an Electric type, we've still gotta be careful!"

"Right," Dalton agreed. "Magmar, Protect!"

"Rhydon, Surf! Go!" Magmar put a barrier around itself, and from behind Rhydon began to ride a wave it created and headed straight for the two smaller Pokémon.

The five on the sidelines were impressed. "You can be sure that's got to surprise its opponents in a big way," Conway noted.

"What are you two doing sitting there?" Haley shouted. "Do something!"

Paul had something in mind. "Chimchar," he said. "Flame Wheel, let's go."

"Paul, what are you doing?!" Ash objected. "You're going to make us lose!"

_No, I can _do _this! _Chimchar encouraged himself. "Please, Chimchar that isn't- ah!" Pikachu was cut off when his partner reeved up. Pikachu turned around. "Ash, do something!" he cried, panicking. "Chimchar's going to faint with a wave that big! Come on, give me an order!"

Ash was thinking, and thinking fast. Then he remembered something. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" he ordered.

_Why would he..._ Pikachu thought fast too. _Oh yeah, the Contest! Zoey...Got it! _Pikachu faced the oncoming wave. "K...here goes nothing!" He jumped and spun, using Iron Tail as he did.

"What's Pikachu doing?" Haley asked. "It's like a...Iron Wheel or something?"

"Of course!" Dawn exclaimed. "That's what Zoey did!"

"Zoey?"

"A Coordinator," Brock explained. "She broke through a Water Pulse doing something similar in the Contest yesterday."

Haley nodded in understanding and watched as Pikachu canceled the Surf out and then slammed Rhydon onto the ground with his tail, making the Drill Pokémon faint. "Impressive," she muttered.

"Alright, from now on I'm doing it my way," Ash declared. "Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!"

_Idiot! _Paul exclaimed. _Pikachu could be affected by Flame Body! _"Chimchar, Dig!" The chimp went underground as Pikachu charged.

"Magmar, Fire Punch let's go!" Dalton cried, hoping to still pull off a victory. Magmar's hand became surrounded in flames and it lunged at the oncoming Pikachu. The two attacks collided and were evenly matched. And then Chimchar popped out of the ground.

"Hi there!" he said. Magmar looked down, surprised, and Chimchar jumped up and punched. "And good night!" Magmar flew back, fainted.

"Alright!" the two standing Pokémon cheered, giving a thumbs-up to each other.

Despite their happiness, their friends looked on, a bit conflicted. "Wow, I'm glad they won," Dawn stated. "But it certainly wasn't the greatest example of teamwork I've ever seen."

"Uh, I say that last attack was one," Haley argued.

"It was also kind of a coincidence," Holly said.

"My analysis says it was because of _separate _efforts," Conway informed.

"I'll say this," Brock joined in. "It worked _today_, but that may be it."

They then all noticed Paul and Ash were staring at each other intensely again. "And here we go again," they all mumbled.

"Look, from now on, stay out of my face," Paul ordered.

"Get off it," Ash scolded. "Face it: we work as a team. That's what tag battle partners do!"

Paul looked away and grunted, and Ash growled. "So, anyone know how we're going to get them off the field?" Dawn asked.

Haley was thinking. "Well," she said, "it's not as if we can make them any angrier. We might actually make them _agree _on something."

"Why do I suddenly have a terrible feeling?" Holly muttered.

"What exactly do you have in mind?" Brock asked.

"Umbreon?"

"Yeah?" The Moonlight Pokémon looked up.

"Think you can help me out?"

She jumped onto the railing. "I think I see where this is going," Dawn and Conway told themselves. Umbreon made her eyes glow and picked up the two boys.

"What the?" they both questioned before being violently lurched forward and dropped in the competitors' box in a heap.

"Ah, Umbreon, not _that_ hard!" Haley cried.

"They deserve it," Umbreon mumbled.

Chimchar and Pikachu ran over. "I don't think they deserved it _that _much," Chimchar replied. Umbreon raised an eyebrow. "Okay..._maybe _a little."

"Haley, I swear!" Paul shouted.

"Actually, we're even," Haley stated.

"But where does that leave me?!" Ash exclaimed.

"Who cares?" Paul snapped.

"Aaaaand it didn't work," Umbreon sighed. She picked Paul up with her powers, and after getting over his surprise starting yelling at her. "Come on, Chimchar, we should get going. Haley will follow us."

Chimchar looked up at his angry floating Trainer. "Are...are you sure about this?" he asked.

"Their horns are locked so tight it would be impossible otherwise," Umbreon reasoned.

Pikachu laughed a little. "Well, see you later, Chimchar," he said.

"Uh...oh, right, see ya."

"Haley, get Umbreon to put me down!" Paul demanded. "I can walk just fine!"

His partner smiled. "I don't know, you looked pretty tangled up in your argument," she joked.

Meanwhile, Ash was laughing. Umbreon used Psychic to throw him against the wall, and Paul laughed quietly. His reward was a punch to the gut from Haley, and the three walked off, with Paul in Umbreon's powers, recovering.

Later that day, the four got something to eat. Paul finished about three quarters of it before sighing and looking at Chimchar. "Your Flamethrower needs work," he declared.

Chimchar hung his head. "I know..." he mumbled.

"You do realize he learned it only yesterday," Haley pointed out.

"Dark Pulse-"

"Umbreon's had more experience. And can we stop comparing your Pokémon to mine? Every Pokémon is different, just like every person is different." She sighed. "Oh, who am I kidding? Getting through your thick skull makes becoming a Pokémon Master look like a cake walk."

Paul rolled his eyes. "I listen," he defended, standing up.

"No doubts about that, but do you apply?"

There was silence. "Sometimes," Paul finally replied.

"Change that to never," Umbreon whispered to Chimchar.

"I don't know what you said Umbreon nor do I care," Paul stated. "I still don't forgive you."

"Double staaaandarrrrrd," Haley sang. Paul gave her a slightly confused look. "The honey incident? How could you forget?"

The boy sighed. "Come on, Chimchar, we're working on that Flamethrower," he said.

Chimchar nodded. "Right." He hopped off the table and followed his Trainer out of the Pokémon Center.

"Oh sure, ignore me!" Haley shouted. The boys did so, and Haley and her best friend watched the door to the battlefield close. "Bets on how long before Ash somehow finds him and pisses him off?" the Trainer stated. Her Pokémon shrugged.

It turned out the battlefield just wasn't good enough for Paul, so he moved his training to the woods not far from the stadium. Haley, who had secretly watched him for a while, quietly followed him, but lost him. "Haley!" Said Trainer turned to Dawn, who was running up to her.

"Oh, hey Dawn," Haley greeted as the Coordinator and her Piplup caught up. "Did you need me?"

"I was wondering if you've seen Ash," Dawn stated.

"Not unless you've seen Paul," Haley said. The two Trainers looked at each other, and their Pokémon looked at each other. Then all four of them freaked out. "We've gotta find them before they find each other!" Haley shouted.

Dawn whipped her head nervously. "Um...the stadium! Let's check by the stadium!" she offered. The other three nodded and they took off.

They ran to the stadium, only to find no one there. But they did see someone heading into the woods, and so they followed. "We're not through yet, Chimchar," they heard in the distance.

"That's Paul!" Haley exclaimed.

"Then the person we followed..." Dawn saw him sitting down up ahead.

"Why's Chimchar the only one you put through such intense special training, anyway?" Ash asked as they ran up and stopped.

"Ash," Dawn finished.

"It's none of your business," Paul stated.

"Yes it is!" Ash declared, getting to his feet. "We're a tag team!"

Paul glanced at him. "Your point?"

"I still don't understand why you entered this thing," the younger boy said.

_That doesn't answer my question, _Paul thought. _But might as well answer so this conversation doesn't start going in circles. _"You wouldn't," he replied, an answer that confused Ash. "It's a good chance to get my Pokémon used to some real combat."

"What do you mean?!" Dawn cried.

"Dawn?" Ash questioned.

But the girl ignored him. "Don't you think you're being a little rude to the other Trainers and Pokémon in the tag battle?" she accused.

"He just said they're real competition," Haley reasoned.

"And Haley's here too? When did you guys get here?"

Once again Ash was ignored. "I think that's a pretty decent compliment," the older female continued.

"I didn't say real competition, I said real combat," Paul corrected. "Just because we fight, doesn't mean they're any good." The other three looked at him like he was crazy. "And by the way, I needed Chimchar to be struck by that Surf in our match today. Get it?" Now they looked like he was an alien from another planet.

"Then, what if Chimchar had lost?" Ash asked.

Paul looked down at his Fire type. "Then Chimchar would be useless," he declared.

"What?" Chimchar breathed.

"HA, what did I tell ya?" Elekid proclaimed. He got a glare from Umbreon and a look from Torterra.

"You can't possibly mean that, not after these past few months," Haley stated.

"And tell me when I've said something I don't mean," Paul told her.

"Then how about you answer me this," Dawn said. "Do you treat _all _of your Pokémon this way?"

There was silence. "No," Paul finally answered. "This is exactly what Chimchar wants."

Ash and Dawn gasped. "Chimchar, is that true?" Ash asked.

The chimp looked at him. Then he gave a curt nod. "Yes," he replied boldly and without hesitation. Although, on the inside, he thought, _Though I would like it if we eased up just a little. _

"Chimchar, there are other ways to get stronger," Ash explained. "You don't have to do it the hard way, you know."

_The...hard way? _Chimchar didn't quite understand how Paul's training was the "hard way". Wasn't how he trained how all Trainers trained? Even Haley would attack her Pokémon with her own. His just seemed more...intense. But the look in the other Trainer's eyes, the sadness and pity that was there, told him maybe he _had _been going about this all wrong...had he? He looked to Haley. She always seemed to have the answer. But this time, her eyes kept flickering from sadness to understanding, and it just went back and forth. Umbreon was having the same problem. Suddenly he heard Paul and his teammates walk off. "Come on, Chimchar, don't listen to them," he advised harshly. Haley and Umbreon quickly followed him, looking back just once.

Normally, Chimchar would follow without hesitation. But there were so many thoughts swimming around he just wasn't sure anymore. Finally he gave up. He looked at the other pair. "Sorry guys," he mumbled before following his Trainer, teammates, and Haley.

"Haley, I need your help in training Chimchar," Paul was saying as Chimchar caught up.

She looked at him, then at Chimchar. "Are you...really sure this is a good idea?" she asked.

"Oh don't tell me you're actually listening to _them_!" he spat.

"I just..." She sighed in defeat, not able to find the words. "Fine, I'll help. Umbreon, you ready?"

The Moonlight Pokémon looked at her younger friend. "It's okay, Umbreon," Chimchar assured. "I'll be fine."

Umbreon kept staring. "...If you say so," she finally answered. She looked up at her Trainer and nodded.

"Good," Paul stated. "Then let's go from where we left off."

They went on for a few minutes, and Chimchar was actually doing pretty okay. But he was also starting to get tired. "It's...okay," he panted. "I...I...can do...this."

"Ursaring, Hammer Arm, go," Paul stated. Ursaring attacked, but Chimchar slipped under his legs. "Leaf Storm."

"Dark Pulse!"

The two veterans unleashed their attacks so fast Chimchar was caught off guard and trapped in the leaves and rings. Paul grunted. "Sky Attack!" Murkrow charged.

"I...can...get out of..."

"Flamethrower!"

"On who...wha- AH!" Chimchar was hit dead on and flung out of the attacks. He skidded on the ground and stopped. "I...c-can..."

"Stand," Paul commanded. Chimchar tried, he really did, but his world was getting blurry, and his muscles felt like they were on fire. He didn't hear Paul's command for Elekid to use Thunder to get him moving, and he wouldn't have even known what hit him if Haley didn't suddenly rush in front of him and take the blow herself. She screamed in pain.

The Pokémon couldn't believe it. "Haley!" they cried. Elekid looked guilty.

"Are you crazy?!" Paul exclaimed. "You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"We could have killed Chimchar!" Haley cried, standing up, although she looked a little woozy. "Look at him! I don't care if this is what he wants, but I don't just want to watch a Pokémon die!"

"He needs to work through the pain," Paul stated.

"And exactly how is he going to work when his body collapses?!" Haley shouted. "He's on the verge of it right- Chimchar!" Just as she said it, Chimchar slumped to the floor. He was exhausted, his arms and knees no longer holding him up. Haley scooped him up and showed him to Paul. "See!" She cradled him in her arms. "If we don't get help right now, who knows what will happen!"

Paul looked at her pleading eyes, and then at his passed out Pokémon. He looked...fragile, like he would snap in two if not handled correctly. "Fine, let's-"

"Haley, Paul, what's going on?" Ash suddenly exclaimed. He and Dawn ran into the clearing. "We heard shouting and- oh no, Chimchar!"

"Paul, what were you thinking?!" Dawn scolded.

"We don't have time for this!" Haley informed them. She began running. "We have to get to the-" Paul saw it coming, and he ran to her before her legs gave out from under her. "Ugh...my head..."

"What's wrong?" Dawn asked, concerned.

Paul didn't say anything and proceeded to pick Haley up bridal style. "Guys, let's go," he said to his Pokémon and Umbreon. They nodded and trekked back to the Pokémon Center, with Ash, Dawn, and their Pokémon trailing behind. Paul walked into the building, where he met up with Nurse Joy. One look at the scene was all the nurse needed.

"I'll take Chimchar," she said, already reaching for the chimp.

The Trainer nodded as his Pokémon was scooped up and carried off. He sat down at a table and let Haley sit before recalling his team. But before he recalled Elekid, the Electric type jumped onto the table and looked at Haley. She smiled. "I just need rest, Elekid," she said. "Don't look so down." Elekid didn't look convinced at first, but then he nodded, and Paul recalled him. "And maybe some water," she mumbled out.

Luckily for her, Nurse Joy walked back at that moment. "Did you say you need water?" she asked.

Paul looked up. "It would be helpful," he replied. Nurse Joy nodded and walked off once more. He looked at Haley and sighed.

"Don't," Haley said.

"Oh well, sorry I'm concerned because you jumped in front of a Thunder attack," Paul retorted, rolling his eyes.

"And yet you had no problems doing so to Chimchar," she argued.

"At least he's a Pokémon," Paul stated.

"In that condition? Uh uh, Mister," Haley replied. "No Pokémon would be surviving that...well, unless it was a Ground type, and last time I checked, Chimchar isn't." Paul grunted. She had a point, a point she had been drilling since she got hit, and he knew she was right, but he was just too stubborn to admit it.

Nurse Joy came back with a glass of water and an aspirin. "I figured you would need this, too," she told Haley. The girl nodded thanks. "And I just wanted to let you know that your Chimchar is resting." Paul also nodded, and Nurse Joy went to check on the Pokémon that had been brought to her by the other Trainers.

A little later, Brock suddenly joined them, along with his friends, Holly, and Conway. "May we talk?" Brock asked.

Paul looked at him. Out of the three, he did have to admit Brock was the most tolerable and levelheaded. "Alright, though I really don't know what this is about," he replied.

Brock's response was to sit across from Paul, who had closed his eyes and crossed his arms. Dawn had told him it was very rude to not make eye contact while talking, but Haley injected saying he would open his eyes again soon, guarantee. With that, Brock began. "So Chimchar went through some severe training, huh?" It wasn't a question, more like a statement, as if he already knew the answer.

But Paul didn't pick up on that. He opened his eyes (proving Haley's point). "I'm sure _Ash _already told you," he spat.

"I treated Chimchar," Brock informed, "so Ash didn't have to tell me a thing." His face grew solemn. "At this point, Chimchar will either get a lot stronger or emotionally scarred for life. Why do you need to push so hard, anyway?" When Paul didn't answer, Brock leaned in. "I'm not asking because I'm Ash's friend, I'm asking because I'm Chimchar's friend."

"Believe it or not," Paul finally said, "we all want the same thing." He paused. "I mean it," he added.

Ash stared at him. "I don't get it," he said.

Paul looked up, obviously beginning to reminisce. "I'll never forget that first day," he muttered. "It had been two days since returning to the Sinnoh region, and I just caught myself a Ninjask. Suddenly I heard Chimchar cry out. He jumped out of a tree and into another, and he was moving quickly. For a moment I thought maybe he was just playing since it's in the specie's nature but then a pack of Zangoose ran past me and started attacking him. Harshly." He took a small breath. "It might have been a fight for food...or territory, but the Zangoose wouldn't stop attacking." Paul remembered the fearful look in Chimchar's eyes. How could he not? They looked like his whenever he was scared, big and trembling and pleading for help that in that moment he always thought would never come, or begging for whatever he was scared of to go anyway or stop. "I decided to chase after them and see what happened." In truth, the reason he followed was because he knew what kind of trouble Chimchar would be in for if someone wasn't there to watch him. If Paul just left...he didn't even want to think then, and he didn't want to think now. "We ran pretty far, and soon we were out of the forest. I was a little farther behind, and when I had caught up, they had cornered him on a cliff with a river at the bottom. Chimchar had nowhere to go, and I was actually ready to jump in and help, but it turns out he didn't need it. He unleashed a Flame Wheel powered up by Blaze, and it was amazing. Chimchar had taken a lot of damage...but what power! I had never seen a Chimchar who had strength and stamina like that. After witnessing that mind-boggling display of force and determination, I _knew _I had to have Chimchar for myself."

_Chimchar was panting, exhausted. "Gone...all gone...please let them be..." He was tired, so tired, and despite the force he had unleashed he knew the Zangoose would be back. This always happened; he would find somewhere to sleep, they would claim it as part of their territory, Chimchar would argue and say where they had said it was the day before, they would gang up on him, no one would help, they would chase him somewhere, and he'd unleash a move powered up by his ability. How stupid to think it would stop, that someone would care, that someone-_

_"Hey," someone piped up. Chimchar looked up. A human. But what was one doing here? No one ventured into this forest, not unless they were lost or stupid or...experienced. That's what this guy looked like. Okay, so then why was he _here_, with _him_, when there were better- "Chimchar, look what you did," he said, sounding...impressed? No, that couldn't be right. _

_ Chimchar looked around, like the Trainer told him, and was surprised, like when he had done this the first time. He hadn't noticed the area was much more burnt than it usually was. "Did...did I _really _do all of this?" he asked. Had they really pushed him that far this time?_

_Suddenly there was a __Poké Ball in the boy's hand. Chimchar looked up. "Come with me," the Trainer said. And in his eyes, Chimchar noticed they were filled with understanding. This Trainer...he had been tormented too, he could just tell. And he respected Chimchar's power. _This_, he realized, was what he was waiting for, and what he had dream of but never thought would come true._

_The two stayed in that position for a while, with the Poké Ball stretched out and Chimchar staring at it. And then he smiled. For the first time in a long time he smiled. "Of course!" he cried._

Paul, of course, had seen it a tad different. All he knew was that one day the Zangoose were attacking him. He hadn't realized he had saved Chimchar from something similar to his own childhood.

He wished, looking back, he knew that detail sooner.

"I knew if I had that kind of Fire power," he continued, "I would win the Pokémon League for sure." He looked downcast. "But ever since that day, we haven't been able to duplicate that power."

Silence fell over as everyone let the information soak in. "I get it," Brock finally stated. "You're trying to recreate the stress of when those Zangoose were attacking by putting Chimchar through such difficult training all the time."

"I need to push Chimchar way beyond the limit!" Paul finished, standing up abruptly and causing Haley to do so as well since they were sitting so close. He walked a little ways away and looked at Chimchar, who was sleeping in the recovery room. "If we could just recapture that power," he stated, sounding desperate and excited, "Chimchar would be the strongest of all my Fire type Pokémon!"

"Hold on, Paul," Ash said, standing up. "You've gotta let Chimchar rest."

Paul looked at him. He looked...kind of sad, and he sounded it too. "If I don't-"

"You have to!" Brock interjected, now on his feet as well. "Chimchar's health depends on it!"

Dawn and her Piplup voiced the exact same opinion, but Paul was about to brush it all off until Nurse Joy piped up, "You have to listen to them!" All eyes were on the nurse as she walked towards them. "The only reason you're pushing your Chimchar so hard is because you're just plain impatient," she scolded. "I'm going to have to insist that you let Chimchar get some rest."

There was no arguing with an official. At least... Paul nodded and began to walk off. Haley followed but soon let out a grunt. "I thought aspirin was suppose to make the pain go away," she complained.

Paul stopped going forward and went to her side. "You have to take it easy," he advised. "Something like that to your system puts you out for a while."

"Something like what?" Ash asked. "What happened?"

"Ash, it's fine, no need for concern," Haley assured. "Though I have to say, you must be made of rubber or something. How do you take Pikachu's Thunderbolts and get back up as if nothing happened?"

The boy processed that. "You hit her with an Electric attack?" he questioned.

Haley realized how big of a mistake saying anything was. "By accident-"

"How could you?!" Ash shouted.

"Please don't yell!" Haley begged, holding her head.

Ash looked guilty. "Sorry," he said quietly.

"I don't feel so good," she mumbled.

Paul scooped her up. "You need rest," he said.

"I'm coming with you," Nurse Joy declared. Paul nodded again.

In the partners' room, Nurse Joy helped the girl into her pajamas, got a wet cloth and placed it on her head and placed a bucket by the bed just in case as Paul helped into bed. Nurse Joy left, putting Paul in charge, and as soon as the door closed, Haley began hyperventilating. "I'm going to die, I'm going to die," she chanted quietly.

"No you won't," Paul assured. "Trust me. I was hit with 20,000 volts and I'm still here. That Thunder was around 10,000 to 15,000. The only way you'll die is if you keep freaking out, meaning I need you to calm down." She slowed her breathing. "It's just aftershock." She glared. "No pun intended. Just get some rest. Tomorrow everything will be better." He got up. "Everything."

There was double meaning in that, Haley could tell. _But what? _she asked before falling asleep.


	12. Chapter 12: Shot Through the Heart

Haley groaned and slowly opened her eyes. She definitely felt better than last night, but why did she have to wake up so early? She looked at the clock and raised an eyebrow. "9:15?" she questioned. She got out of bed to check her Pokégear. "No, it's definitely 9:15. But...why does it feel so early?" Then she looked around the room. "Hmm? Paul's not here." She changed into her clothes, thinking about where he could have gone. "Everything...what did he mean..." She gasped. "Oh no." Sloppily tying her hair back, she flew out the door and down the hallway, startling a few Trainers. She finally got to a certain room, and flung that certain door open. "Paul!"

He turned around, standing by Chimchar's bed. Said Pokémon was still lying down but wide awake. "I thought you were still asleep," Paul stated.

"You can't do this!" she cried, ignoring greetings. She stepped inside the room and closed the door. "Nurse Joy said Chimchar still needs to recover!"

"I think he's ready to go," the boy replied.

"You're not the nurse, Paul, you don't know better than her! What if something happens?"

"Look, nothing is going to. I need him today."

"No, not today! Use him tomorrow! What about Elekid, huh? Doesn't he need training, too?"

"Yes, but-"

"Please, Paul, don't do this!"

Paul was about to protest again, but he noticed Haley's eyes, begging just like her voice and gestures. He closed his eyes. "Al-"

"No," came a voice. The Trainers whipped their heads to the bed, noticing Chimchar was standing. He still had a few bruises, but other than that he looked healthy. He shook his head. "No," he repeated. "I'm fine."

Haley walked over to the chimp and bent slightly so she was eye level. "Chimchar, are you absolutely positive about this?" she asked in a motherly tone.

Chimchar didn't say anything. Then, he finally nodded. "Yes," he said calmly.

The female looked into his eyes, as if she was searching his soul. She stood up straight. "You're serious," she stated. "Well, if you want to, there's nothing I can do." She lowered her head. "You win."

Paul put a hand on her shoulder. "Nothing's going to happen," he repeated. "He won't lose."

"I'm not worried about the outcome of the match," Haley replied. "I'm worried about...something else."

"He won't die."

"That's not it, either."

"Then what?"

She didn't answer. "...I don't know."

"You too," Paul stated. _What is it they're so worried about? If it's not losing and it's not injuries then, what _is _it? _He decided to let it go for now. "Chimchar, you ready?" The chimp nodded, and Paul recalled him. "Let's go."

Haley stood still. Then she nodded. "Right."

The tournament started at ten o'clock sharp, and the battles raged on. Dawn and Conway once again won with ease and incredible teamwork, and Brock and Holly won their battle as well. Now Ash and Paul were up once more as the last battle of the day, fighting Elijah and Ricky. Ash's choice was Turtwig, and once again he was eager to bring his Pokémon out first. The Tiny Leaf Pokémon emerged, ready for battle. And of course, Paul's choice was Chimchar, surprising everyone but Haley. "No!" Dawn cried. "How could you let him?!" she scolded Haley. But then she noticed the older female's downcast look.

"I tried," she admitted, "and Paul would have agreed but...Chimchar was the one to request participating."

"But why?" Brock asked. Haley continued to look down, avoiding all eyes. She bit her lower lip, refusing to answer.

"Chimchar, you need to rest!" Ash proclaimed out on the battlefield.

"He's right, Chimchar!" Pikachu agreed.

The chimp looked at them, smiling. "No way, I've got this!" he exclaimed.

Ash was a little surprised and still concerned, but gave in. "Okay..." he said, sounding unsure, as did Pikachu. "Make sure you protect Chimchar during the battle, Turtwig!" he ordered.

"Got it," his Grass type responded. He turned to his partner. "Don't worry. I have your back."

"Oh, thanks!" Chimchar said happily.

"Metagross, let's go!" Elijah shouted. The Iron Leg Pokémon appeared, but of course that didn't faze the smaller Pokémon. Sure Turtwig had a type disadvantage since his Grass type moves weren't effective, but that's what Chimchar was there for, right?

..._RIGHT?!_

"Zangoose, come forward!" Ricky cried.

The Normal type made itself known, and when it landed on the ground Chimchar looked at it with fear-filled eyes. Zangoose looked at the smaller Pokémon and grinned. "Huh, been a while since I fought a Chimchar," he said.

_I...I know that voice! _"Z!" Chimchar exclaimed. The leader of the pack, Chimchar's equivalent to Jason. And because of it Chimchar had given him a name of sorts to help identify him from the others.

Now Z's grin grew even wider and more menacing. "Ah, it _is _you, little Chimmy," he stated. "It's been a while."

Hearing Paul's command to get ready to fight, Chimchar went into a fighting position. "You don't scare me any more!" he proclaimed. _Big words, _he thought. _I'm absolutely terrified! But I can't let him or Paul know that!_ "Besides, you're probably much more tame now that you've been caught by a human." He smirked. "I thought you said that would never happen."

"I changed my mind," Z sneered.

"Metagross, use Bullet Punch!" Elijah ordered.

"Damn it, you always go first," the Normal type mumbled.

"Just following orders," his partner replied in a robotic-like voice. It charged, its arms glowing.

Paul smirked. "Chimchar, Flamethrower! Go!"

"X-Scissor!" Suddenly Z jumped over Metagross and was looking down at Chimchar.

"How goes it?" he asked.

"Wha-" Chimchar stopped in his tracks.

"Turtwig, use Razor Leaf!" Ash commanded. But when Turtwig fired, Z just batted them away, and since Chimchar was paying too much attention to the Cat Ferret Pokémon, he didn't notice Metagross until he was hit. He skidded across the ground. Meanwhile Z's X-Scissor hit Turtwig. Chimchar was now on his feet again, and Paul ordered him to use Dig. He jumped into the ground. But Elijah had a counter for this and made his Metagross use Magnet Rise, giving him the temporary ability of Levitate, meaning when Chimchar resurfaced he had completely missed. Metagross moved out of the way when Z came charging with a Crush Claw, which connected and sent Chimchar along the ground again. _Ugh, note to self: don't taunt Z about getting soft, because it's not true, _the chimp thought. He got back on his feet, just in time to be tackled to the ground thanks to Turtwig being thrown by Metagross's Psychic. And now Z was coming at Chimchar with another Crush Claw.

And Chimchar couldn't take it.

All the memories of his past flooded through him in that moment of Z flying at him. How he was attacked and taunted by them. And that glare...that glare he was wearing...just like all the other times..._Close your eyes, and everything will go away, _Chimchar chanted as he did so.

Paul, meanwhile, wasn't pleased. He was starting to see something...something he didn't like. "Turtwig, use Bite!" Ash commanded, snapping him out of his thoughts. Turtwig jumped at Z and latched his jaw onto his opponent's wrist. In response, Elijah called for another Bullet Punch.

"Chimchar, use Flame Wheel on Turtwig," Paul ordered.

"What?!" Ash exclaimed.

The chimp turned and looked at his Trainer, shaking his head. "No, I can't do that," he said. "Please don't make me!"

_Please don't make me! Don't make me hurt him!_

_Well, tough, kid. That's what you get for crossing us._

Paul hated it, hated what Chimchar was making him seeing. "Yes," he said sternly.

Chimchar looked at Turtwig. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. Frustration boiled in him. "I'M SORRY!"

_I'm so sorry! Please don't hate me! I didn't want this!_

The Fire type launched his Flame Wheel, ramming through Turtwig, Z, and all the way to Metagross. Chimchar looked back at the fallen Grass type. He felt guilty. "Why Paul?" he muttered.

_Why...why did you make me?_

_I told you, that's the price you pay._

_But he didn't deserve it!_

_No...But you did._

"Flame Wheel!" Paul ordered.

Chimchar was so focused on his Trainer he hadn't noticed Z charging at him with another Crush Claw. And when he turned around ready to charge he was slammed down and now under Z's merciless paw. "No, no!" Chimchar screamed as he struggled. "Get off of me, get off of me!"

_It hurts! Get off, it hurts!_

Paul could see it more and more, and he prayed that the result wouldn't be what he thought. "Use Flamethrower."

His Pokémon lifted his head, intending to fire, but he was getting..._that _look. That evil grin, those mocking eyes... "Well, come on," Z taunted hauntingly. "Where's all that trash you were talking a minute ago? Come on, fire."

_Come on, throw a punch. It's not that hard._

"Oh wait."

_I forgot who I was talking to._

Chimchar couldn't take it. He cracked. He covered his eyes, whimpered, and began to tremble. Paul closed his eyes and lowered his head. "Guess that's it," he muttered. Chimchar wasn't strong enough and that was the problem. At least, that's what he told himself was the problem. But he knew that was a very small portion of the problem. For you see, when Paul saw his Pokémon under that claw, he saw it. Saw what he didn't want to see but knew to be true.

His Fire type was just like him.

...No, not entirely.

Chimchar was everything Paul _wanted _to be.

The chimp was sweet, kind, friendly, and open despite his fear. He was a hard-worker (not that Paul would ever admit it aloud), and despite constant warnings not to do so he smiled frequently. He was fun loving and happy and warm. Everything Paul wanted to be but had lost so many years ago. He envied Chimchar. He envied a Pokémon. And it made him feel uncomfortable. Not to mention, seeing Chimchar frozen in fear like that, a small part of him felt like...

Like he had failed.

He wasn't the Trainer Chimchar needed...or _deserved_.

Ash ordered Turtwig to help out with Razor Leaf, and since Z was so absorbed in his victim he didn't noticed the sharp leaves until they hit him, knocking him back and getting him off of Chimchar. Turtwig ran in front of Chimchar, who had uncovered his eyes. "Don't worry, I've got- urk!" The Tiny Leaf Pokémon slumped to the ground.

"Ah, Turtwig!" Chimchar cried. He looked at Z and gasped, seeing that he was firing a Fire Blast. "No!" He jumped over Turtwig and held out his hands, holding the Fire Blast back. His tail of fire grew. _Perfect! _He turned his head. "Paul, what next? Give me an order!" But Paul said nothing. He heard the command for another Bullet Punch. "Come on, hurry! What should I do next?" Still he said nothing. Chimchar gulped. "P-Paul?"

Trainer and Pokémon locked eyes. The worry that was in Chimchar's...it was too much for Paul. Chimchar looked too much like him, like he use to be. How he wanted it back. _But it's gone, gone forever, _he thought. He couldn't take it.

Paul turned to the side and looked away.

He could hear Chimchar's heart break when the chimp gasped, and he almost turned back to give a command. But he just couldn't. He didn't care when Ash took over giving commands, or everyone's surprise to such a predicament. He didn't care that they ended up winning. He heard Chimchar whimper and felt his gaze. And once again he almost turned to look, to say sorry, to explain why. But all he did was hold up Chimchar's Poké Ball and returned him, without a word. He began to walk off, ignoring the outcries of his tag battle partner and aimed to leave the stadium. "Paul, get back here!" Ash commanded as he ran after him. "If you-"

"Ash, stop," Haley intervened, placing a hand on his shoulder. Ash stopped, and so did Paul. He then felt Haley's gaze. "There are no words I can say, I believe, that will persuade you," she began softly, "but please promise me, Paul, that you'll think this through. An hour, at least...please."

Paul didn't answer right away. Then he nodded slowly. "Alright," he answered quietly. He began walking again.

"We'll give you your space," Haley stated. This time Paul didn't respond, but she knew he heard. The six watched as Paul walked off.

"What do you think he'll do?" Holly finally asked after a long moment of silence.

Another wave of silence crashed over them. "...I only wish I knew," Haley whispered.

In the Pokémon Center, Paul studied Chimchar's Poké Ball. He stared at it and began rotating it. When he finally got to the back he raised an eyebrow. There was an "X" scratched onto it. He ran over it with his thumb and then suddenly held the Poké Ball up. "Wait...this is..."

_"Ow!" a ten-year-old Paul exclaimed. He and Turtwig were traveling to Oreburgh City for their first Gym Battle, and right now they were very close to Hearthome City. He had tripped over a rock on the path, and the Poké Ball he had found on the side of the road fell out of his hand and landed on the ground. "That hurt," the new Trainer mumbled as he sat up. He noticed Turtwig was in front of him with the Poké Ball in his mouth. "Oh, thank you, Turtwig," he said with a smile. He took it back and inspected it. Then he rotated it so he was looking at the back of it. "Aw man, there's a scratch on it!" He showed his starter. "It was all nice and shiny before, but now look at it." Then he pulled it back and looked at it once more. "Or..." He suddenly picked up a stone and began scratching the Poké Ball. "Hmm...no, it's too boring...maybe..." Turtwig watched, confused, as his Trainer continued to work. Finally Paul was done. He dusted off the Poké Ball and showed his Grass type. "Look, Turtwig, pretty cool, huh?" Turtwig looked at the X and tilted his head. "Okay, maybe it's not the coolest thing ever, but what else can you do with a pre-existing line?" He held up the Poké Ball to admire his work and smiled again. "I declare this to be my lucky Poké Ball!"_

"My lucky Poké Ball, huh?" Paul said aloud. He gripped it tighter. A pain swelled in his chest. In all honesty, he didn't _want _to give Chimchar up, but...He grunted. Truthfully, he wanted to cry, and he could feel it coming, too, but instead he flopped his head onto the table, one fist slamming down on it and the other clutching the scratched Poké Ball for dear life.

By the time Paul was done thinking, the sun was starting to set. He stepped outside the Pokémon Center and walked to the stadium, near the forest. _No one seems to be here, _he noted. _I hope it stays that way for a while._ He held out the Poké Ball and opened it. The beam released Chimchar, but it wasn't the normal red. It was blue, and that only meant one thing. Chimchar looked up. "Paul?" he asked.

Paul looked at his Fire type. Looking into his eyes, he wanted to tell him his decision softly and calmly. Of course, things don't always go as planned. "You're out of here," he said harshly. _Wait, crap, that wasn't how it was suppose to go!_

Chimchar's eyes widened. _This _was the bad feeling he had been feeling, and he desperately wanted to change Paul's mind. "No, please wait!" Chimchar cried. "Give me another chance! I promise I won't fail, I promise I won't freeze up again, just please! Don't!"

Seeing his pleading eyes, Paul felt his heart start to crack. He had always wanted a Chimchar, but he really had thought about it. _Although, I could be wrong, _he thought as he watched the chimp beg. "Paul!" The cry of his rival stopped him from taking his Fire type back. It just made him angrier that he had been caught. "So that's the end of all that special trainin?"

"Yeah, that's right," he spat. _I don't want it to be! _"What's the point?" _There's plenty! _He began to walk away. "Obviously I need to get a new Fire type." _I don't _want _another Fire type! But I'm just not...argh! _He kept walking, ignoring Ash, Dawn, and Brock's comments.

Meanwhile, Chimchar was devastated. _He...he gave up on me... _He began to whimper. _What else did I expect, though? Everyone always did...everyone always will. I'm totally worthless. _He began to walk towards the forest. He didn't know it, not in the slightest. These trees were new, and who knew what enemies he would make in there. He certainly wouldn't be making any friends. Chimchar just knew it. _Because nothing ever changes. _"Hey Chimchar, come with us!" Ash's optimistic shout rang in his ears. _What? _The chimp stopped, and so did Paul.

_He..._HE _wants to take Chimchar?! _the older Trainer thought. And though he didn't show it (what he was showing was a scowl), he felt guilty and yet...strangely relieved. _Maybe...just maybe... _"Are you sure?" Dawn asked.

Ash, smiling as big as ever, walked up to Chimchar and knelt down, one hand extended. "Of course, we'll have a blast and work hard!" he declared.

"That's right!" Pikachu agreed.

"You bet!" Turtwig chimed in.

Chimchar turned to Ash, wide-eyed. "R...really?"

The younger Trainer just kept smiling. "Chimchar, come on," he egged on. The chimp listened as Ash complimented him. And yet, he still wasn't sure.

"You both deserve each other!" Paul stated. "You're both pathetic!" _Or maybe you deserve each other...for a different reason entirely._

Ash, of course, shot Paul down without batting an eye or losing eye contact with the broken hearted chimp in front of him, to which in some respects kept Paul interested. He watched as Chimchar's eyes began to water. He had given him up willing, so why did it still hurt him so bad? He couldn't take it any more and walked off, not seeing that Team Rocket had tried to take him yet again and only noticed when there was an explosion in the sky. "Hmph. They never give up." He resumed walking. "Losers."

He went back to the Pokémon Center to get something to eat, and as he ate, the wave of annoyance that had been with him passed and was replaced with anger, though he didn't know who it was aimed towards. After he was done murdering his food (at least, that's what it looked like to some of the other Trainers), he stormed off to his room and took out his "lucky" Poké Ball with the intent on destroying the thing. But looking at it, he just couldn't bring himself to do so, and that only frustrated him more. He took a deep breath thinking he would let out a cry of frustration, and yet he ended up just breathing out. He shrunk the Poké Ball, took off his bag and put the old Poké Ball inside. He finally looked around the room and noticed Haley wasn't there._ I figured she would be here to chew me out or something, _he thought. Sighing, he decided to ignore it, take a shower, and then head straight to bed.

The next morning, Paul woke up and checked the clock. 9:05, it read. Plenty of time. He looked over and noticed Haley was in her bed, still sleeping, and from the looks of it she probably wouldn't wake up until sometime after the first match, and maybe into the second depending on how fast the first one would go. He smirked. No way was he leaving that up to chance. Quietly he turned the clock so she couldn't see any of it. Then he got out of bed and lightly shook her. "Mmm...five more...miiiinutes," she mumbled.

"Sure, but it's already 9:55," Paul lied.

That got Haley to sit up. "It's 9:55 already?!" She turned to face him. "And you're not even ready?! Not to mention Dawn's battle starts in-" She then noticed the clock and turned it. She frowned, the look on her face priceless.

"By the way, might want to brush that hair, Luxray," Paul joked.

She glared at him, and for a moment Paul remembered what had happened the day before. He almost expected Haley to scold him right then and there but she just got up and grumbled, "Ass hat," before snatching her backpack and going into the bathroom. He sighed, both out of amusement and relief.

Fifty minutes later the tournament started up once more, and just like the last two days Dawn and Conway completely dominated their opponents. Brock, Holly, Ash, and Paul battled next, and Paul really didn't understand why he used Torterra instead of Elekid. But he did. And he swept. Yeah, that's right, _he_. It was amazing how little Ash actually contributed to the battle, and, being who he was, still had the nerve to compliment his Staravia. Paul, of course, snapped at him for such actions, and Ash and his Pokémon (now including Chimchar) glared at him. Paul's gaze, however, was only focused on the chimp, and as such Chimchar faltered and looked away nervously. _Aw, damn it, I didn't mean to scare him. Idiot._

There was break before the final round, which meant the battle started at two in the afternoon. Paul sighed at such a long wait but decided to get lunch and have Torterra healed (not that much healing needed to be done but hey, it's always nice to have full health). Just as luck would have it, though, he ran into Ash. Fortunately their staring contest was very short and allowed Paul to be on his way. Strangely, Haley really wasn't by his side much. "Exploring," he guessed. "Same old song and dance with her, after all."

The clock struck two and the four Trainers were out on the battlefield. Ash, wanting to rub it in Paul's face (or at least, that's how Paul saw it), sent out Chimchar, saying he was the only one Ash would want to use in this battle. For Paul, finally doing what he had promised himself he would do, he sent out Elekid. "Well, well, look at that," Elekid scoffed.

Chimchar flinched. "Uh...Ash..." he said with worry, turning to his new Trainer.

"Don't worry, you're working with me now!" Ash reassured.

"Right!" Chimchar exclaimed.

"Heh, just don't go screwing this up," his former teammate sneered.

"I could say the same for you," Chimchar hissed back. He had never really liked Elekid, always too arrogant and nasty. The only ones he never took shots at were Torterra and Umbreon (although sometimes he did so to the latter) since they were both veterans and knew what they were doing.

To say that Elekid was a little taken back by the retort was an understatement. "Whoa, hello confidence," he said as Buizel and Heracross appeared. "Hey, look out for the big, scary Water type."

"Please, a Buizel is nothing compared to a Golduck," Chimchar stated.

The battle began, and it was actually evenly matched. Just like all the other matches Dawn and Conway were synced while Ash and Paul were combining separate efforts. For a while the latter duo faltered, especially when Heracross's Megahorn collided with Elekid's Thunder Punch. They were equally strong, but Elekid was a little worse off since he had been weakened a bit before hand. "Ugh, damn that overgrown bug," he muttered.

"Hey, uh, Elekid, you alright?" Chimchar asked.

"Oh shut up," Elekid snapped. Suddenly he began glowing. Power rushed through his veins and he started to grow. The little Electric type had evolved into Electabuzz, and he was pretty proud of it. "Now that's more like it!" he boasted.

"Great, now he's got a bigger ego _and _he's taller than me," Chimchar muttered under his breath.

"And now this tournament isn't an entire waste in Paul's eyes," Haley told herself on the sidelines.

"Well, he was here to train anyway," Brock pointed out.

"I know that."

The battle ended soon after, with a Flamethrower/Thunder combo that Buizel and Heracross tried to recover from but ultimately fainted from.

Winners of that year's Tag Battle Competition: Ash and Paul.

Ash celebrated like he always did, cheering and jumping for joy. Paul just...acted like Paul and returned Electabuzz. A few minutes later both boys were on the stage with Enta, who congratulated their win and gave them their Soothe Bells. Of course, as Brock stated, Paul's ultimate prize was evolving Electabuzz. Conway was slightly ticked and yet a little amused that the team who demonstrated the least amount of actual teamwork was the one to come out on top. Haley stood at the tunnel that connected the walkways of the stadium to the competitors' box and clapped along with everyone else. Paul opened one of his eyes and noticed her just standing there with a smile on her face. _I...don't get it, _he thought. _She hasn't said a thing about Chimchar all day. Granted most of my day was taken up by battles, but I was convinced she would pull me aside during the first battle. _He closed his eye again and just listened to what he considered was empty praise.

Later, in the food corner of the Pokémon Center, the trio of friends were sitting at one of the tables, admiring the Soothe Bell Ash won and praising him for his hard work. Paul walked by, and when Dawn said his name he stopped. He reached into his pocket and threw his Soothe Bell.

The intended target: Ash Ketchum.

The actual target: Haley Sedai.

She almost seemed to appear out of nowhere and snatched the Soothe Bell before it reached Ash. Letting it slip until she was holding it by the end of the string, she looked at Paul with a straight, unreadable face. "Hmm?" Paul grunted, raising an eyebrow. But Haley didn't answer and walked towards the Pokémon Center battlefield.

"What was that for?!" Ash exclaimed, getting out of his seat, though whether it was about the Soothe Bell, Haley, or both was a mystery to Paul. So instead of trying to figure out which one Ash was talking about and risk sounding like an idiot, he walked off to go to the Poké Mart to buy some supplies.

An hour later he returned to the Pokémon Center. It was getting close to sunset, but Paul figured the two of them could make some distance before setting up camp. He walked to the room and opened the door. "Haley, let's...hmm?" Once again, the girl was mysteriously absent. But this time, so was her backpack. With an eyebrow raised, he closed the door and walked up to the front desk. "Nurse Joy, did you happen to see Haley anywhere?" he asked.

"That girl with the red bandana you were with?" Nurse Joy confirmed. Paul nodded. "She left about 10 minutes ago."

_Did she want to get a head start? She could have just told me a place to meet. _"Thank you," he said and walked out. He made his way towards Route 209, and saw her standing there, as if she were waiting for him. But her back was turned, and he couldn't help but wonder why.

"Glad you decided to show up," she said, still not turning.

Paul smirked. "I was getting supplies. Figured I'd do it for once."

"Good. You'll need it."

"So will you," he said, a hint of confusion in his voice.

"No, I have supplies, I'm fine. Besides, I'm sure you like your space, right?"

Now the confusion grew to his face. "I don't understand."

Her fists tightened (the left one a little looser), and her body began to tremble slightly. "God, why is it that when you need to be dense, you aren't, and when you don't need to be dense, you're even worse than Ash?" she criticized. She turned her head, and Paul swore he was looking into an inferno and yet it was chilling him to the bone. He took a small step back. "Paul, you're on your own."

...What?

"You can't be...where did this even come from?"

"Are you _fucking _kidding me?!" Haley cried, whipping her whole body around. "Where did this come from, are you _actually _serious right now? Well, Paul, since you're so confused, how about I tell you. It started with a little incident yesterday, when you abandoned Chimchar!"

Paul glared. "You didn't speak up about it before," he retorted. "In fact, if I recall, you were the one who stopped everyone else from trying to stop me."

"Because I figured you couldn't take it anymore!" she exclaimed. "I figured you were sick and tired of waking up to look into the mirror every day!"

_How did she- _"I released him because he was too weak!"

"Oh, bullshit, that's only an excuse, and a lame ass one, too!" Haley barked. "But even then, I was going to let it slide. In truth, I was probably being too generous with that consideration but I guess I'm too stupid and stubborn to quit. But we would have gone on, this whole thing blowing over, until the _second _incident. And do you want to know what that one is, Paul, or do I have to spell this one out, too?"

"Please, Haley, because I don't remember doing anything else wrong!"

Haley growled and dug through the front pocket of her backpack to pull out a familiar-looking bell. "_This_, Paul. Maybe it'll jog your memory?"

"So? I have no use for it."

"I..._you_...do you have _any _idea what this bell means?"

"It raises the power of Return, so what?" Paul asked, annoyed.

"That's the Trainer response, and that's not what I'm looking for!"

"Then what the hell _are _you looking for?!"

"This represents friendship!" Haley shouted.

"Your point?" Haley's face dropped to shock and horror, and then quickly went back to angry. Scratch that, furious. Scratch that, _LIVID_. Tears started rolling out of her eyes, and Paul dropped his annoyed face and replaced it with concern. "Haley, what..." He moved forward.

"Don't touch me," Haley hissed. Paul stopped. "I can't believe this...I did nice things for you, reached out to you and gave you a shoulder to lean on, I made you smile and laugh, and _this _is the thanks I get?! A slap in the face?! So if I wasn't your friend Paul then what was I? A pawn?"

"You're my partner-"

"I thought we dropped that! Actions speak louder than words, and your actions made me think we had passed that point! But clearly-" She choked on her words. "Clearly I was wrong! God, I look like an idiot!"

"You're not an idiot-"

"Don't even _try _and comfort me, because for all I know, those words are empty and meaningless! Actually, I know they are!" Haley brought the Soothe Bell into her right fist and held it tight. "I defended you, told them that you weren't the cold, heartless person they all thought. But I guess- I guess they were right, and I just turned a blind eye. Well not any more! I'm done, _through_! You don't want friends, Paul, _FINE_! I'll give you the peace you so desperately wanted!" There was a deadly silence, and then Haley broke it when she stepped back. There was a hitch in her breathing before she said, "I hope it's worth it." She turned and walked off.

Paul, meanwhile, was frozen in place, stunned beyond word. He watched her go, knowing he could easily and effortlessly catch up to her and stop her and make a case for himself. But his feet wouldn't move, no matter how desperately he wanted them to. The best thing that had happened to him in years was walking away, and he did nothing to stop it.

And then, she was gone.

Paul was on his own.

He stood there, frozen in the street until the sun sank behind him and the streetlights turned on, just staring down Route 209. Suddenly he felt a rage beginning to bubble deep inside him.

Hearthome City was quite the place for Paul.

He had tripped on the route just before it and gained a memento.

He had gotten the call from his brother inviting him to go see his big fight in Kanto.

He had spent some time in that café and had his favorite dessert.

He had evolved his Elekid into an Electabuzz.

He had won the Hearthome Tag Battle Competition.

He had lost the first place prize.

He had no badge.

He had lost his best Fire type.

He had lost the closest person he ever had to a friend.

The rage from those last three just made his anger spill over. He let out a shout. A shout that made the tourist give him questionable looks and the locals give him angry glares. A shout that made children call him weird and the adults shake their heads.

At the top of his lungs, Paul shouted, "_I HATE HEARTHOME CITY!_"


	13. Chapter 13: Broken

**A/N: Okay, as evil as it makes me sound, I had a lot of fun writing the next three chapters. In fact, these three have been on the back burners for some time now. I couldn't wait to get to these so I kind of jumped the gun. And I know it's kind of sudden for me to go into first person view, but I couldn't envision it any other way. Most chapters won't be, but some in the future may go back to this style. Anyway, enjoy!**

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><p>To say I was crazy would be the understatement of the year.<p>

Nuts.

Psycho.

Bat-shit insane...yeah, sounds about right.

For two whole weeks I was absolutely angry at the world. Why? Was it at Haley? But what had she done? Nothing but say the truth. And that's probably why I was so angry, most likely at myself. At least, that's what the logical part of my mind came up with.

I should probably say that in those two weeks, the logical part of my mind was mostly forced to sit on the sidelines and watch the madness.

The first to feel my wrath were my Pokémon. God were they scared, and looking back I can't blame them. I was barking out orders and scolding them even worse than before. Now to some that may just seem like a normal thing for me and would shrug this off as a usual-Paul thing, but when Torterra starts flinching at my voice, I like to think I've pushed it too far. And man was he flinching. The logical part of my mind was screaming at me to stop being the colossal asshole that I had become, but the rest of it just wouldn't listen.

Apparently my Pokémon weren't enough. Soon I started attacking trees with my anger. Luckily that stopped after three days or so, since my knuckles went from just being bruised to bloody and my feet barely held me up, and when I entered a Pokémon Center along Route 209 Nurse Joy had a fit. Taking her lecture to heart was the most influence the logical part had in those two weeks.

Target number three: other Trainers. They would come up to me, looking for a battle, and I would accept, and only once did I come close to losing one Pokémon. I crushed everyone else, and ended up making them run to the nearest Pokémon Center crying. No, _sobbing. _Most of these Trainers were much younger than me, too. I think one girl was at most nine. And here I was, insulting them like Jason would insult me.

Great, just great. I had turned into my worst enemy. Way to go, me.

Things just got worse when I finally reached Veilstone City. Home. Not that there were many pleasant memories for me here. I walked the streets, going towards the Pokémon Center, and I felt the stares of the locals. My brother and I are sort of celebrities here, not to mention that gossip spreads through here like wildfire.

Never expected that from a big city such as ours, did you?

"Hey!" I heard someone shout. Bridget. Self-proclaimed friend of mine, obsessive fan girl, and a 100% annoyance. I continued to walk as I heard her catch up with me. I ignored her greeting. "I heard you came back from the Hoenn region," she said. "I'm sorry you lost the Conference." I continued to ignore her. "But you must have gotten stronger! I heard you're traveling through Sinnoh now!" Still ignoring. "I also heard you won the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition! Congratulations!"

Hearing the name of that competition reminded me of Haley. And every time I thought of her I became angry. Luckily for a split second the logical part of my mind took hold. "If you would leave me alone, I would appreciate it," I finally said. I sounded like an asshole, but at least I wasn't insulting her.

"Well that's no way to treat a friend you haven't seen in years!" she replied, huffing and I knew she was pouting. But she was wrong. We weren't friends. What did she know about me? Nothing, that's what. And even if she did know something about me, she doesn't care. None of these people give a damn about me. "Fine, I'll leave. See you later!" And she ran off.

Peace and quiet. And this time no tears. We're going in the right direction.

Of course, after sleeping the night away and waking up the next morning for my Gym Battle, I went in the opposite direction by maybe 50 miles or so.

I stood in front of the Gym/Dojo and entered without hesitation. I was expecting the old man known as Theodore. What I got was a teenage girl who looked only one year older than me at most.

"Oh, hello!" she greeted. I noted the slight nervousness in her voice. "Are you a challenger?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Maylene, are you sure you're up for this?" one of the attendants asked. "This is your first challenge as a Gym Leader, and Reggie's younger brother is very strong."

The logical part of my mind was going crazy, screaming, _Leave, leave, _LEAVE!_ In your current state you'll flatten her, crush her, and toss her aside, and then do something you'll absolutely regret!_ As the case had been for the last two weeks, I promptly ignored the screaming. "Rafael, I'll be fine," the young Gym Leader reassured. _Oh no you won't! _that ignored part of my mind shouted. "I've been training for six months. I can do this." She turned to me. "So shall we?"

_No! _"Yes." _GOD DAMN IT, YOU IDIOT!_

She led me to the battlefield. The referee was there and the rules were stated. Then the trip to hell began. Maylene brought out Meditite and I released Honchkrow. I guess I could have used the Gliscor I caught on the way to Veilstone, but it didn't know any Flying type moves. I ordered a Sky Attack, to which Maylene countered with Detect. It dodged flawlessly, but I simply ordered the attack again. Since the protection had worked once before, it wasn't going to work again, and Meditite was knocked out. _In one shot._ "Ah, Meditite!" Maylene screamed. She recalled the fainted Pokémon and brought out another Poké Ball. "That's okay, we're just getting started! We won't lose so easily!"

How I wish that were the case.

Next was Machoke. It charged, intent on using Brick Break, but another well-placed Sky Attack cancelled those plans, as well as any plans of Machoke continuing to fight, because it too fainted. It was fair to say that part of my mind was flipping out. Maylene was not in sync with her Pokémon and I was still in my colossal asshole state. Things weren't going to be pretty. "Eep!" the Gym Leader squeaked. She recalled Machoke and brought out her Lucario, her final Pokémon. I switched Honchkrow for Magmar, who was there to replace Chimchar.

...Would you believe me if, now looking back, I regret letting him go?

"Bone Rush!" Maylene ordered, obviously flustered. And it reflected in how Lucario began to swing the bone. Magmar dodged the shaky swings with ease, and then I ordered Fire Punch. It probably would have taken two hits, if Maylene's increasing bad luck hadn't continued to pile. Yep, Lucario was infected by burn, and that made it faint. The look of horror on Maylene's face was soul crushing.

If I wasn't in the state I was in.

She gulped and shakily recalled her fallen Pokémon. "W-well, congratulations," she said nervously and quietly. "H-here's your Cobble Badge." She handed me the orange badge that looked like a small cobblestone tile.

I took the small metal badge and looked at it. Then I smirked. _Oh no, nonono, don't you dare! _I dared. "_You're the weakest,_" I told her in the most haunting voice I had ever heard. Was this even me? It was as if some had possessed my body. I wanted it to stop, but I just kept talking."_The weakest leader I ever fought, and this lightweight Badge is just like you._" Then I turned and left. I'm pretty sure I heard her heart break on the way out the door.

_What the actual fuck?! _my mind shouted.

"I meant every word." Oh God, I was arguing with myself. This couldn't lead to anything good.

_No, no you didn't! _I cried. _That wasn't a fair fight! She was a newbie Gym Leader!_

"So was Flannery."

_You were her fourth or fifth challenger, not her first! And even then, that is absolutely no excuse for being a complete asshole to a Gym Leader! A _Gym Leader! _They are authority figures, no matter their age!_

"Will you shut up already?" I mumbled.

_Not until you turn around and apologize!_

"Why should I? Like I said-"

_Bullshit to you meaning every word!_

"You know what- urk, okay, headache. Ow..." Great, I knew this would happen. This wasn't the first time I had argued with myself, and every time I ended up with a headache, and then tomorrow I would probably wake up with a fever. I didn't want to go to the Pokémon Center, but there was no way I was facing Reggie in this state. And knowing I would most likely fall sick, I couldn't sleep outside. So I went for the red-roofed building.

"Ah Paul, how was...oh God, you don't look so good," Nurse Joy noted.

"Headache," I reported.

"Should I call Reggie?"

"Don't even think about it," I warned before retreated to the room I had used earlier that day. Curtains closed? Check. Lights off? Check. Air on? Check. Me under the covers and not to emerge until morning? Positively check.

Just as predicted, I was out of commission the next morning. God, why did this always happen? I only got up once, and that was to rush to the bathroom. Geez, it was even worse this time. The nausea left, and then I somehow managed to crawl back to the bed. Nurse Joy came in about noon with food. I guess knowing the Nurse Joy personally had perks, since she knew what happened when I got headaches. I was sure she would contact Reggie, but he never appeared, not once. Odd. Nurse Joy brought more food around five in the afternoon, and then after eating I feel asleep again.

The next day, I was still not in a condition to be traveling. I was at least better enough to go into the lobby and get my own food. The stares from the locals didn't go unnoticed. Word of my battle must have spread, but as much as I wanted to yell, I didn't want to make thing worse, both in the gossip department and my physical health. To avoid everyone, I grabbed my food and retreated to my room once more.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: This is where the anime is a little different. The night Team Galactic attacks, Paul is apparently in another Pokémon Center, most likely going to Pastoria City, not to mention Paul is the one who calls Reggie. However, that kind of wouldn't work for the story, which is why things are a tad different. Reggie also has no idea Paul is still in the city at this point, and Paul doesn't get Electabuzz via the call. You'll see why.)**

* * *

><p>Day three. Good, this stupid fever...cold...thing was almost gone. I was just one day from leaving the city and acting as if none of this had ever happened. I would get away without any consequences. "Paul, you have a call from Reggie," Nurse Joy told me when I went to go get dinner.<p>

He was calling me? Why didn't he just come to the Pokémon Center and talk to me face-to-face? Unless he thought I had left the city. But instead of voicing my confusion, I nodded and went to the videophone. "Hey Paul- whoa, you don't look that good," my older brother stated. Electabuzz was beside him. That reminded my next battle was going to be at Pastoria. I would need to get him soon.

"Captain Obvious has docked," I replied, rolling my eyes. "It's just a passing cold. Anyway, why did you call?" _Probably to scold you! You deserve it! _

"Just wanted to see how things were going," he told me with a smile. I was confused. Was he avoiding the issue or had the word actually not spread like I had thought? Had I just been paranoid? "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Your old friend, Ash, has been here." He has? Since when? How had I not noticed? Oh...right. Being cooped up in your room will cause you to miss a few things. Funny thing, I would find out the next day from some people talking that he had been in the dining hall as my brother and I had this conversation. But I thought back to Reggie's comment. An old friend. Yeah, friends...what a laugh. "You know, the Trainer with the Pikachu that uses Volt Tackle that you told me about?" As if I could forget. Just because I was sick didn't mean I had lapses in memory. "Interesting guy. I like him."

I closed my eyes and turned my head a little. "Well I suppose you would," I scoffed.

He probably still had that smile on his face. "Guess what, he earned the Cobble Badge today," he informed.

I froze on the inside. Was this some sort of hint? And...oh no, here comes another potshot at her. "So what? Anyone can win at the Veilstone Gym," I stated, annoyed. I opened my eyes slightly. The slight look of displeasure on his face told me all: he knew. And he probably would have said something if all hell didn't break loose. "Anyway, could you send-" Suddenly communication went down. In fact, everything went down, even the lights. They didn't go without flickering, though, giving me another small headache. Yep, back to bed. I entered my room to see blue lights shining through the curtains. That only gave me more of a headache, so I didn't give a damn about the meteors that were currently being stolen.

Afternoon. Probably around 1:00 pm or so. I sat up and rubbed the sleep away. Finally 100% again. Now I just had to leave, get to the next Pokémon Center, and contact Reggie there to get Electabuzz so I wouldn't get an earful. I grabbed my bag and, after grabbing a quick late lunch, exited the Pokémon Center. Walking through the streets, there was talk about one of the meteors being gone and how Maylene had helped out. When people saw me, the topic was suddenly all about the young Gym Leader. Something about how that Coordinator helped gain her confidence back and Ash winning via tie and I was mentioned at some point. It was getting on my nerves. I had trained myself to ignore such things, but this stupid mental state...

It was making me do stupid things.

"Will you all just shut the hell up?!" I suddenly shouted. The street grew quiet, and I stormed off. I realized that, for whatever reason, I had been heading west towards Route 215. I should have been heading southeast, towards Route 214. I rounded the corner and ended up on another street, now heading east. And that's when I stopped in my tracks.

There was Reggie, a basket of produce under his arm. He had a straight face on; he had probably heard my outburst. But it wasn't just his look and what I knew it meant that made my heart race. A few feet behind him was Jason and his gang.

The logical part of my mind finally took its proper place at the helm. And the first thing it did was scream, _Oh God, oh man, oh geez, oh crap!_

Next thing it did? Make me run across the street, going through traffic like a dumbass.

I bolted down the alleyways that I knew like the back of my hand, leaving behind the angry honks of the cars that had to screech to a halt. I was not calm, and if I was going to continue on, I needed a way to calm down. And there was one place where that could happen: home. Right now it was looking like my beacon of hope and my deathbed all in one. Still, that was my only option, so I continued to fly down alleys and run across streets, dodging more cars in the process. I finally made it to the wide stretch of grass. Home wasn't far now. Since I was running towards the back of the house, I had to cross the river, and had it been later in the year it would have been too big to jump, making me alter my course and head for the bridge which would waste time I needed to run. But it wasn't that time of year, so I could clear it with ease. Not long after that our house appeared. The Pokémon Reggie was taking care of (including some of my own) were there, and they saw me running. Those like Electabuzz had no idea why I was running in a state of panic, but other like Staraptor knew the routine all too well. They rounded the confused Pokémon out of the way of the back down as I flung it open and jumped inside. I slammed it closed behind me and ran for my room. I slammed that door closed, too, and locked it before scrambling into bed, trembling under the covers like a small child.

I was curled up there, and the past two weeks finally caught up with me. Guilt rained on me like 20-ton bricks, and I whimpered. What had I done? Reggie was going to be so mad with me and I had no excuse. Well...I did, but it didn't make up for all the terrible things I had done and said. No amount of sorries could fix any of it. Yeah, despite what you may think (and I have done many things to make you think otherwise), I'm not heartless. Authority figures are always treated with respect and insults get no worse than the "How pathetic" I had given Ash after his battle with Roark. But these past two weeks...no, I realized...it was ever since I had met Cyrus in Mt. Coronet that I had started falling into this complete heartless being. I sighed. Slightly calmer, but still not quite there. What felt like hours but were probably only minutes had passed when I was at least calm enough to emerge from the covers and look around my room.

Nothing had changed in the past five years. Reggie had left everything the way it was, probably only coming in here to clean. So that must mean the radio was still by my bed. I turned. Sure enough, there it was. I reached for it. Music always helps me calm down. Bet you didn't know that.

Of course, when I turned it on, what should be playing but _Breaking the Habit _by Linkin Park.

Damn it, I love their songs, but why must they come on at the most inconvenient times?

Sure, I could have turned off the radio, but I needed to calm down, so I just flopped onto my back and began to sing along (more like mumble; I didn't have the energy to sing any louder) to the song that was being so eerily correct.

_Memories consume_

_Like opening the wound_

_I'm picking me apart again_

_You all assume_

_I'm safe here in my room_

_Unless I try to start again_

_I don't want to be the one_

_The battles always choose_

_'Cause inside I realize_

_That I'm the one confused_

_I don't know what's worth fighting for_

_Or why I have to scream_

_I don't know why I instigate_

_And say what I don't mean_

_I don't know how I got this way_

_I know it's not alright_

_So I'm breaking the habit_

_I'm breaking the habit tonight_

_Clutching my cure_

_I tightly lock the door_

_I try to catch my breath again_

_I hurt much more_

_Than anytime before_

_I had no options left again_

_I don't want to be the one_

_The battles always choose_

_'Cause inside I realize_

_That I'm the one confused_

_I don't know what's worth fighting for_

_Or why I have to scream_

_I don't know why I instigate_

_And say what I don't mean_

_I don't know how I got this way_

_I'll never be alright_

_So I'm breaking the habit_

_I'm breaking the habit tonight_

Suddenly I heard the front door open. The first thing that came to mind was the Nightmare Gang. No please, not now. Footsteps, coming towards my door. I gulped but kept mumbling. Then I heard keys.

Reggie.

"I know music helps, but this song?" he asked as he opened the door. Was that suppose to be some sort joke, an attempt to make me feel better? I answered by turning my head away from him. The only sound was the music, now going to this college band. Echosmith, I think. Finally, Reggie spoke up. "A bit calmer?"

No, not really. But I nodded anyway. He stood at the doorway, then walked in and turned off the radio. He motioned to the living room. I didn't move. "They won't bother us," he said. Well, guess I had no choice. I got out of bed and went into the living room. I sat on the couch, staring at the table like it was the most interesting thing in the world. My staring contest was interrupted when suddenly there was a glass of milky black tea in front of me. Damn it, he knew me too well. It even had a straw. Shit, was it that bad? We had to regress to when I was eight years old? He sat next to me. I didn't touch the drink as we sat in silence. "Mind telling me what this is all about?" he finally asked.

Well, here we were, the moment I had to explain everything. Chimchar, Maylene, my outburst, the way I had treated my Pokémon and everyone around me, Haley...

Haley.

Just thinking of her made me think back to that conversation, the Soothe Bell I had thrown away held tightly in her hand. And her twisted, heartbroken face as she shouted, _I'm done, _through_! You don't want friends, Paul, _FINE_! I'll give you the peace you so desperately wanted! I hope it's worth it. _Those were her last words before she walked off. Time had slowed for me in that moment, and it was painful. It still is.

She had been the only one to defend me that wasn't Reggie, and like an idiot I had pushed her away. I began to feel them. Tears were forming. I wanted them to stop. I wasn't a child anymore, damn it! Go away, please just go! Leave! Don't...

Don't go...

Please...

I need you.

Suddenly my head collapsed into Reggie's lap, and they burst out. I cried.

No, that's wrong.

I bawled.

...

What could I do but just sit there and rub his back as my little brother cried in a way I hadn't heard in years? When Paul called me on his journeys during Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, his face had this stone-cold expression. Those four boys (and truthfully I played a part too) had such an impact on him that as soon as he left, he began transforming from the fragile yet somewhat sweet (although he did have a slight cruel streak to those he deemed annoying, like that one girl...Bridget, I think) boy to someone who could be very callous if he wanted to. But now, looking at him, I couldn't believe he had ever transformed in the first place.

Something had shaken him to the core and had ripped him open.

I recalled three days before Paul's battle with Maylene. She had jogged to my house and stopped to say hi. "Out for morning exercise?" I had asked.

"Yeah!" she had replied, pumped. She had said she felt like a challenger was going to come soon, and she couldn't wait.

"Just don't get too excited so that you can't focus!" I had laughed.

I shouldn't have.

The day of Paul's battle, Maylene ran up to me again, crying her eyes out. "What happened?"

"I-I-I-I had a-a-a-a Gym B-b-b-battle!" she had cried, tears streaming down her face. "B-b-b-but it w-w-w-went all wrong!"

I had dealt with this before with my own brother, so I knew exactly what I had to do. First thing was to calm her down. I remembered Theodore, her grandfather, had once told me she loved noodles, so I led her inside and made her some. She ate slower than I had heard, probably thanks to her current state. "Tell me what happened." Paul had, apparently. But he wasn't himself. He would never do such a thing. Well, mostly. Beat someone in a battle, and badly? Okay, that wasn't new. Call a Gym Leader weak and lightweight? Not in a million years. Something was wrong. Still, I decided to let the situation go for a while. I figured he would go back and apologize on his own.

But the next day came, and an apology had not been delivered. I would have called him right there, ready to yell, something I rarely did, but Dawn helped out by talking with the Gym Leader and then battling her, so I let it go again.

After Ash's Gym Battle, I decided to call my brother up. I certainly did not expect him to look sick when he answered. Now I knew why he hadn't apologized: he had one of the mental battles again, and when that happens, his body shuts down. I didn't realize he was still in the city, though. When you call someone without knowing for sure where they are, you're just patched to them via operator and they don't tell you where the call goes to for some stupid reason. If I had known I would have gone over to the Pokémon Center, grabbed his wrist, and dragged him to Maylene, sick or not.

Ash and his friends left the day after the Team Galactic incident, and I went into the city to buy some food. "Hello, Isaac," I greeted the fruit stand owner.

"And hello to you, Reggie," he replied with a smile. But it dropped as I picked out my produce. "Did you hear about that brother of yours?"

Despite how big Veilstone City is, everyone know almost everything about everyone, especially when it comes to Paul and I. It's the price of being the best breeder in the city, as well as Paul and his encounters with those four boys. "Yeah, I plan to call him up later and set him straight," I told him. "Thankfully, Maylene has her confidence back thanks to this group of kids that came into the city-"

"You mean the boy that helped to try and save the meteor last night?"

See what I mean? "That's him, and his friends." I added that last part because, in all honesty, it wasn't just Ash.

"That's good," Isaac commented, though I wasn't sure if he meant my plans to scold my brother, Maylene's returned confidence, or that someone tried to save the meteor. Deciding that figuring out which one he was talking about wasn't important, I nodded and paid, and then turned west to keep walking.

"Will you all just shut the hell up?!" I suddenly heard someone shout from the street up. I sighed. Paul. He was causing a scene again, and with all of this talk about him already, this wasn't helping any. I saw him storm around the corner and then stop. Our eyes met. I saw them growing with fear. Even at my meanest I didn't scare him that much. Unless... My suspicious were confirmed when he suddenly bolted across the street, once again playing a real-life version of Frogger. I watched him disappear down an alleyway. He was heading home, like he use to. Knowing he would probably be fine and that he needed to calm down before I did anything, I turned. I had something to deal with before I walked back to the outskirts where home and my brother waited. Those four boys had already begun to walk away. I knew their destination.

Like hell I was going to let them even try.

"Now where do you four think you're going?" I asked as I approached them behind. They turned, meeting my icy glare. I rarely ever used it, since I was too much of a nice guy, probably to a fault. Meanwhile, Paul used it almost every time I called him yet I know he probably hadn't wanted to start that habit.

We are two very messed up brothers.

"Oh, hi Reggie," Jason greeted, as if they weren't walking off to cause my brother more grief. "We were just-"

"Just what?" I was pretty sure I was burning holes in them now. "It better not be to where I think you're going."

"We were-"

"If my Pokémon so much as catch a _whiff _of you," I threatened, "it won't end well for any of you." I was reminded of an incident six years ago, and clearly, so was Jason, who was rubbing his stomach. Staraptor had charged at him with Brave Bird. Hey, you might say overkill and totally not cool to do to an eleven-year-old kid, but he had punched Paul in the face twice and then followed him home with a _metal _baseball bat. What would _you _do?

With that warning in their heads, I walked past them and headed for home. My back was to them, and they probably would have attacked me if it didn't mean they would get in trouble for doing so. It was dumb. Touching my brother is fine to these people, but even one finger on me and the city is up in arms. What did Paul do to deserve such non-sympathy? I took my time getting home so my brother had enough of his own time to calm down. I crossed the bridge that went over the river and wondered if Paul had fallen in it in his haste. I shook my head. He hadn't done it before, why should I believe he would now? I continued home and was greeted by Staraptor and a worried-looking Electabuzz. "Star-Star," my Pokémon chirped.

"He came home?" I asked.

"Star," Staraptor said again, nodding.

"How long ago?" Then I remembered I was talking to Pokémon.

Bless the person in the world who can understand their language, if such a person exists.

Electabuzz had a stick, and it drew something in the ground. How I envied them. _We _couldn't understand _them_, but they knew how to draw "20". "20 minutes ago?" The Electric type nodded. I hadn't realized I had taken so long. Still, that definitely should have given him enough time. I opened the door. I mentally slapped myself. I had forgotten to lock it again, and probably the back door as well. Then, I imagined if I _had_ locked the house. I had done that once, and I had found Paul in the fetal position next to the front door. That was something he didn't need right now. I walked in and put my basket on the table, then got the keys off of the counter that separated the dining room from the kitchen. Paul probably locked his room from the inside. He always did. Besides, it would help him identify that it was me, not the gang. The walk to his door was strange but not new: I was calm, but the atmosphere was a swirl of sadness, fear, worry, and...guilt and angst? That was new. He must have been worse off than I thought. As I fumbled with the keys, I heard _Breaking the Habit _on the radio.

You know, exactly what Paul needs right now. Something depressing.

At least he was singing...well, it was more like mumbling, but it was something that was distracting him. He's actually pretty good singer, but he rarely does that anymore.

"I know music helps, but this song?" I asked as I opened the door, finding his shoes and bag scattered on the floor with my brother under his covers. The question hadn't meant to sound like a joke, more like one of those "Really? Now?" moments, but the look on his face made me realize he had registered it as a joke. We sat in silence as _Bright _by Echosmith came on. There we go, a much happier song. Still, I needed to coax him out into the living room. I needed to sit next to him, and he never _ever _let me sit on his bed next to him. Even when he was younger, he hated how much he acted like a child, yet he allowed me to treat him like such. _Except _sitting next to him on his bed. I figured now would be no different. "A bit calmer?" He slightly hesitated with his nod. Nope, definitely not, no matter how much he says so. I sighed internally. Here I was, suppose to be mad at him, but now I couldn't find the will to be so. I turned off his radio and motioned for him to get up and go to the couch. He didn't move. Clearly he was afraid of the gang eavesdropping on us like they use to sometimes do. But Staraptor was out there. That wouldn't be happening this time. "They won't bother us." Now he moved, reassured but still not calm. I sighed internally again, then proceeded to lock the back door. I followed him and saw that he was already sitting on the couch, staring at the coffee table intensely. Definitely not calm. Drastic times call for drastic measures. I hadn't done this since he was eight, grabbing a tall glass and filling it with milky black tea and then putting a straw in it. I set it in front of him. He snapped out of his staring, and the look in his eyes told me he wasn't pleased with himself, being degraded to an eight-year-old again. I sat down next to him, silence taking up the space until I asked, "Mind telling me what this is all about?"

I expected yelling, anger, snapping, a cold glare, something of the modern-Paul variety. So it comes at no surprise at how I was slightly shocked to see his eyes begin to water and his face scrunching to make them go away. I knew what was coming next.

My little brother broke, shattered, and collapsed into my lap, bawling his eyes out.

...

How long had I been in that position? Hours? Days? Weeks? Obviously not, more like a few minutes, but that's what it felt like to me. And after what seemed like an eternity, I finally had no more tears to give. With me there sniffling, I finally noticed Reggie was rubbing my back. Noting I was done, he continued for a few more seconds before sitting me up. I let out a hiccup. He got up and came back with a glass of water. I chugged it down, as if I hadn't had water in days. Then I slammed it down on the table. Like I was some drunk in a bar. Great. I noticed the tea and finally reached for it, taking a small sip. Now we were here, me marveling at how the liquid went up like I had never seen such a thing before. I took the straw out of my mouth and sighed. "Better?" Reggie asked, who was sitting by me again.

"...You are such an unbelievable asshole," I said, pointing to the straw. Yeah, _those _were my first words. World's greatest brother, everyone.

Reggie, however, didn't seem to mind. In fact, he responded by suddenly pulling me close and ruffling my hair. "Love you too, little bro," he chuckled.

We are the weirdest brothers in the world, hands down.

I noted the time. It was about 4:15. How long had I been wondering, going the wrong way? "Actually, can you make dinner before I begin?" I asked. "It's...kind of a long story, and I need to figure out how to explain all of this."

Reggie was looking at me, as if he was thinking I was trying to get out of this. But then he smiled. "Beef stew?"

My eyes lit up against my will. He was seriously asking for it. And yet, I was starting to not care. "Muuuusssshroooooms," I said like I was a zombie.

He laughed and got up, heading for the kitchen. I flipped on the TV. Whatever channel Reggie had been watching last, right now it was showing _Ultra Maximum. _It was one of those actions movies starring Brad Van Darn. I swear that guy is in every action movie, be it total crap or something decent. This one was just...okay. The tagline they had used was cheesy, kind of like the movie. I didn't complain since I didn't feel like changing the channel. At least it wasn't _Pokémon in Love. _Bridget had unfortunately dragged me to that when she had suddenly appeared (and I do mean suddenly; it was like she appeared out of thin air) in the Kanto region, and I swore I would kill Cleavon Spchpielbunk for that. He might be "one of the greatest director of all time", but not that time. "This movie never gets old," Reggie said, appearing behind me.

I looked at him. "As in it's a classic or you never get tired of making fun of it?" I asked.

"Both!" he laughed.

Soon dinner was ready. Time was up, but I was ready. "It was two weeks after I got back to Sinnoh," I began.

"How does something that happened that long ago have anything to do with now?" Reggie asked.

"Because I met someone," I answered. "Someone who had a big influence on me." He probably expected Ash. "It was funny how we met. I was sitting on a bench at the Pokémon Center, waiting for my Pokémon to be healed, and I was shaking the bench on accident with my foot tapping. Then she-"

"Oh, so it's a girl," he said slyly.

"Shut up," I retorted, a little peeved. Then I realized something. He was teasing me. When I was younger, he was never able to do that. I was too fragile; one wrong word and I would probably break. Now I was less likely to do so, meaning Reggie could start acting like a brother. That explained the sudden action on the couch as well. We could finally be...normal.

Well, as normal as a mentally unstable boy (at least...I _think_ I'm mentally unstable) living with his brother/practically father who were runaways from one of the most successful businesses in the world could get.

"Anyway, she called me out on it, and at first we argued," I continued. "Then we started having a conversation, and she told me she was a three-time Elite Four Runner Champion." Reggie was impressed. "You might have heard of her. Haley Sedai. Her uncle is a breeder. Ted Stewart."

"Oh, her!" Reggie exclaimed happily. "I remember her. Really sweet girl, if I recall."

That stung slightly, but I continued. "We had a battle, and then six days later we saw each other again. After that we started traveling together."

My older brother was even more impressed. "I'm really proud of you," he stated with a big smile.

I nodded, and then I began to explain everything. Our battles with Roark, the Jubilife TV incident, the honey and Team Galactic, Diablo City, Eterna Forest, Eterna City, the...interesting trip to Mt. Coronet, and anything else I could think of. Then I frowned. "Then we entered. We...we saw Cyrus." Reggie narrowed his eyes in understanding. He didn't like Dad's business partner, either, especially since he could probably guess that I had been threatened like that time three years ago. "Everything just started to crumble. We met Cynthia, and I challenged her. I lost, badly, and I got really mad at Chimchar, though I shouldn't have. Haley calmed me down, and we both thought I was fine after that, but then...the Hearthome Tag Battle Competition." I sighed and ate some of my stew.

Reggie waited as long as he needed to. "I noticed Chimchar was with Ash," he said.

"I gave him up," I said sadly. "I..." Should I tell Reggie the reason I gave him up was because I saw him as a better version of myself? I pushed that thought away and answered with the reason everyone (minus a certain someone) figured was the real reason. "I figured he wasn't strong enough. Haley wasn't too pleased. And then I just made things worse. Ash and I were actually partners, and we won. The prize was a Soothe Bell, and I threw it away. Haley caught it and kept it for herself. I had walked off, and an hour later I noticed her stuff wasn't in the room, so I went to find her." I immediately went for my tea and took a sip. This was painful, very painful. "She was mad. Really mad. She told me off, and then she showed me the Soothe Bell. She..." I groaned and ruffled my hair.

"She figured your gesture meant you didn't want to be friends," Reggie finished, probably guessing. It was like someone was stabbing my heart. Why did everyone realize this analogy but me, the one person who, at that moment, needed to know?

"Good God, Reggie, how could she _not_ see it that way?" I asked. "And every time I talked I just made things worse. The next thing I knew, she was walking away, and instead of going after her like I should have, I just stood there. The only other person in this world who understands me, and she was gone, just like that." I felt another breakdown coming, so I tried controlling it by taking deep breathes and eating a little. "And then it was a two week journey through hell. Reggie, I...I yelled at my Pokémon like a heartless bastard and insulted so many Trainers. Losing her...I know it's no excuse for my actions, but it's the only thing I can think of that made me act like that. And then Maylene...oh God, Reggie, I didn't mean a word. That fight wasn't fair. I was her first challenger, she was nervous, she heard I was a strong opponent...and yet...and yet..."

"I knew it," he said, interrupting my mindless ramble. "You were sick because you had a mental war again." He ate a little. "And I think since it has been a few days, you need to apologize."

"Apologize?!" I repeated as if he were crazy. I had shot up out of my chair as well, and I think I heard Staraptor and Electabuzz jump. "What the hell am I suppose to say?! 'Hey Maylene I'm sorry for calling you totally worthless, let's be friends, K thanks bye!'? No way! I'm surprised she recovered so fast! She probably doesn't even want to see me ever again!"

Reggie just looked at me. "You done?" he said. I opened my mouth, but he kept talking. "At the very least try, Paul. Yes, she may not 100% forgive you. But the gesture would be nice."

I sat down and sighed. He was right. "Okay, I'll go tomorrow," I told him. "Then I'm taking Electabuzz. We're challenging the Pastoria Gym next."

"Guess it is Electabuzz's turn," he agreed. "And one last thing."

What else was there? "What?"

"Go get her."

If we were having just any old conversation, I would have asked who he meant when he said "her". But I had been talking about "her" for the past few minutes. "How?" I asked, a twang of sadness and desperation in my voice. "Maylene might be able to look past everything, but there is _no way _Haley is."

"Just try-"

"Trying isn't going to work with her!" I argued. "You're right to say she's a sweet girl, but that's not all she is."

My brother rested an arm on the table. "So what else is she?" he inquired.

"She's a no-nonsense type of person!" I explained. "I'm surprised she stuck with me as long as she did! Then there are times where she's a total goof, and then when she trains and battles, she's like a drill sergeant! In fact, sometimes even _out _of battle she's like that! There's no way I can just apologize and expect even the slightest of forgiveness!" I sighed.

"And yet?" Reggie egged on.

"I need her," I admitted softly. "I've said it before and I'll say it again: she's the one person besides you who gets me, who's willing to defend me. She's also the only person who doesn't think I'm cruel. And she's like my conscience. A voice of reason. Something to keep me in reality. And...I should have said this out loud...but she was starting to feel like...like a friend."

"Hmm," was his response. "What did it feel like when she was around?"

Where was he going with that? And how did he expect me to answer? It's not like I really thought about that. He must have expected that, because he didn't say a word as I thought of an answer. "Like nothing in the world could go wrong," I finally said. "Funny. A lot of things did. She wasn't suppose to meet those four or Cyrus, and I wouldn't have even touched that mansion with a 50-foot pole or let her know I was afraid to go in it. But when she was there, it was either as if none of them were there, like they didn't matter, or she would calm me down, and she knew how to do it so perfectly." As I said that, I thought about that massage, and I began to feel it, too. I think a ghost of a smile appeared on my face.

Seeing my smile, my brother seemed to relax a bit. "All the more reason to try, right?" Reggie stated. I looked at him, and after a while I nodded. He smiled. "Good. I was hoping for a more confident answer, but you work with the cards you're dealt. Come on, let's clean up, and then you are going to bed."

He just had to treat me like a child one last time, didn't he? "This is the last time you get to pull that shit," I stated.

Reggie laughed. "Aw, is my wittle browther embarrassed?" he teased.

"Shut up," I retorted once more.

Though I have to admit, it's nice to have milky black tea again.


	14. Chapter 14: Redemption

The next morning, I woke up, confused as hell. Why was I in my room? Wasn't I on a journey? Then I woke up at little more. Right, I was going to apologize to Maylene today, and then head off to Pastoria City. Hopefully I would meet up with Haley in the mean time. I got out of bed and changed into my usual outfit.

...I always have found it weird why I never seem to wear anything different.

"Morning," Reggie greeted as I entered the room. He had breakfast all ready for me. Fine, I'll admit, being at home has perks. "You ready for today?"

Déjà vu. The meal and his question were exactly what he had done five years ago when I left for my first try around Sinnoh and Reggie was going back to Kanto for the Battle Frontier. "Yeah," I replied as I ate. "I'm not bringing my Pokémon along. I don't want to seem threatening in any way."

"Do you want me to get a team ready for you so you can leave right after?" he asked.

Let's see, my team... "Torterra, Electabuzz, Ursaring, Honchkrow, Gliscor, and...Weavile," I instructed. There was a pause before I added, "Please."

"That's better," he said with a smile. "Don't worry about clean up, I'll get it for you, but just this once."

"Thanks," I said before getting up and walking out the door.

I have only been nervous to enter a Gym three times. The first time was my first Gym Battle in Cerulean City against Violet (long story, maybe another time). The second time was when I went to get the future told to me by Luna. Now, standing in front of the Veilstone Gym, was my third. And it was by far the worst of the three. The fear of Maylene not letting me say even one word kept me from moving for a very long time. I took a few deep breathes, and slowly opened the door.

I wish I could say the atmosphere was inviting, but it really wasn't. The Black Belts that were Maylene's attendants were giving me death glares, and I knew all of them could snap me like a twig if they so desired. However, Maylene herself wasn't there. That wasn't helping my anxiety. "I'm looking for Maylene," I informed them.

Rafael, the man who had warned her, walked up to me. He just seems to tower over me, and in all honesty I wanted to shirk into the shadows. "And why would that be?" he asked.

The panic in me was starting to build, but I didn't want to sound desperate. "To apologize," I replied as stable as I could.

"I doubt that!" one of the others accused. Don't flinch, don't gulp, don't squeak... "You're probably here to insult her more! How dare-"

"Colby, stop," a calm, female voice rang over his accusations.

Maylene.

The room fell silent, and Rafael stepped away from me as the Gym Leader walked up to me. I hadn't noticed, but she's about an inch smaller than me, maybe even less. Might be because I was wearing shoes. We just stared at each other for a very long time before I did what I thought I would never do: I got on my knees. "Maylene, please hear me out," I began calmly, though the whole "calm" thing was proving to be a difficult task. "I have no excuse for my actions. At least, not a very good one. I was angry, and I took it out on you. I know no amount of words and apologies can ever get rid of the insult I said the other day, but I am going to try. I am so very sorry for what I said. I meant none of it." I hung my head. "Whether you choose to forgive or hate me, that's not for me to decide. I've done everything I think I could have, but if there is something else I can do to make it up to you, I will."

She said nothing, and I couldn't see her face since I was too busy looking at the floor in shame. "...Stand up, please," she finally said. I did, and was surprised to be met with a smile on her face. "I've heard a lot about you from Reggie," she began. "I knew you wouldn't say such things without reason, although I would be lying if I said your words didn't sting." She took a breath that was surprisingly even. At least for me it was surprising. "Truth be told, I was too hasty. I should have prepared another day and I was too overconfident in myself. I failed you as a Gym Leader. So on your proposal of doing something for me," she looked very determined now, "when I have had more experience, I will call you, and you will come and fight me again! Then we will have a proper battle!"

I blinked. "Then...should I give-"

"Keep the badge," Maylene interrupted. "It will be a reminder, for both of us, that we still have a battle to fight!"

I bowed my head. "Thank you," I said. Then _she _bowed _her _head.

"Thank you as well," she responded. "For apologizing. And showing me that I have much to learn."

Much to learn. I've heard something similar to that before, and it didn't bring pleasant memories. But I wasn't about to let those ruin what I considered a very lucky break. I raised my head, and she raised hers. "I suppose I will see you, then," I told her. She nodded, smiling. I turned and exited the Gym, heading for home. When I got to the bridge (which was halfway between the Gym and home), my legs gave out, so now I was leaning on the stone for support. "Holy shit," I breathed. "Holy shit! I-I did it!" If my legs were actually working and if I had the nature to do so, I would probably be jumping up and down. All I did though was have this giant grin on my face. To think it would have gone that way...I never even dreamed of that going so well. I was proud of myself. Now would this mean I would never be an asshole ever again? Most likely not. But hey, it was a small step in the right direction. Once my legs finally recovered, I continued walking towards home, feeling more confident than ever before. I even felt like I could get Haley back. She would probably hate me a little, but ultimately...yes, I believed I could do it.

"Hey Polly, what are you so happy about?" Jason's voice rang in my ears. Oh great, just what I need. My grin dropped. They were standing in the road, as if they were waiting for me. Did they serious have that much free time on their hands? As I asked myself that question, I realized how pathetic that made them seem. Sure, they had done some horrible shit, but they _went out of their way _to do so. And so I did what I had promised myself I would do a long time ago: I ignored them, walked past them, and kept going. The slight flinch I heard caused my grin to return, but it started out small. "H-hey, where are you going?" Away from you. Oh man, today was a good day. "H-heard you insulted Maylene the other day. Looks like we taught you well." A day too late for that. That smile grew a bit more. The increased shuffling and the harsh whispers told me they were getting frustrated. Paul, you glorious bastard, how do you do it- "Where's that friend of yours?" Aw shit. My feet stopped without me really wanting them to. They caught up with me, small sly smiles on their faces. "So, you going to tell us?"

My eyes darted from one to the other, and then closed. "Actually, that's none of your business," I said in the same way I give that sentence to Ash.

Jason's eye twitched. "Smart ass, huh?" He reached for me, probably my tongue again, but I simply ducked and then walked on again. He grumbled. "Maybe the only reason she traveled with you was so she could feel stronger compared to such a wimp!" he shouted.

I stopped again, more abruptly this time. I turned my head, unamused. "What," I began, "did you just say?"

"That you're a wimp-"

"I didn't mean me," I snapped. I had heard just about everything from these guys. One more of that wasn't going to kill me, especially since that was weak compared to some of the other ones. "Now, I'll ask again. _What did you just say_?"

The gang seemed shaken, but they didn't back down. "Well, it's just so obvious," Jason stated. "She must be really weak, and she decided to travel with someone even weaker to make herself feel all big and strong. She just caught us off guard, right guys?"

I didn't hear the others' reply. Haley...weak? If she was weak, she wouldn't have walked away like she had. In fact, she would still be by my side, not saying a damn thing about how horrible I was being. Thinking about how wrong Jason was made my blood boil. And maybe a bit too much. Because the next thing I knew, I had spun around and punched the older boy in the right cheek. Time stopped as all of realized what I had just done. My fist slowly moved away from his face. "Yo Boss, you okay?" Braxton asked.

Physically, most likely. But Jason was seething. "You'll pay for that, punk," he threatened.

_Here lies Paul, _my gravestone will say. _The last thing he did was idiotically punch Jason in the face._

…

Traveling with Ash's group is so much fun. It's like we don't have a care in the world. Well, except for those Team Rocket guys, but we always take them out easy after getting past whatever stupid plan they had that day. I mean, the day before this incident, we helped a magician out and then got to see her performance. It was awesome! And yet, I couldn't but think of the journey Paul and Haley were having. Yeah his training was tough, but the fact that he was so serious all the time made those wacky moments just seem even more wacky. And he _was _the first person to reach out to me. In some respects, I wouldn't be here with Ash if he didn't find me. And Haley was there to be the kind Trainer, the one who looked out for me and the other Pokémon. In a way, I missed them. But the way Paul had treated me sometimes...at the end of the day, who cared what they were doing?

At the time, I had no idea Haley was gone.

Suddenly I had a bad feeling. Like, really bad. We Pokémon just have a sense for these things. I turned my head. It was coming from the north. Veilstone City. But the city was too far; if I made Ash turn around, we would probably walk there, and by then...but I couldn't run there, that would take too long as well...then I had an idea. "Staravia!" I cried, running to the Normal-Flying type.

He was resting while Ash and Dawn were training Gligar and Buneary again. He lifted his head. "Chimchar, is something wrong?" he asked.

"I'm not really sure," I admitted, "but I just have this really bad feeling that something is going on back in Veilstone City!"

"Is it those Team Galactic guys again?" Pikachu asked as he ran up to us. He must have seen my distress.

"No," I said. "Something more...personal. But! I feel like, if I don't go, something irreversible will happen! I have to go back!"

"We all can," Pikachu reassured. "We can convince Ash to go and-"

"No!" I shouted. "By the time we get there, I think it'll be gone! I would run back myself, but we're too far! Staravia, you _have _to fly me there!" Finally! I had wanted to get that out forever! "Please, please Staravia, I beg you!"

My teammate stood up. "No need to beg, Chimchar, I'm your friend," he said.

"Do you want me to go as well?" Pikachu asked.

I shook my head. "Please make sure no one follows us," I requested. Since Pikachu was the leader (even though he was no where near being the biggest), everyone would listen to him. Even Ash seemed to listen to what Pikachu had to say (although I really wouldn't call it _listening_).

Our leader nodded. "Good luck," he said.

"Thanks, Pikachu!" I exclaimed as I hopped onto Staravia's back. "You too, Staravia!"

The bird nodded. "Hold on tight!" He opened his wings and took off into the sky. I could hear everyone's confusion.

"Chimchar, Staravia, where are you going?" I heard our Trainer call.

Staravia slowed down a tad. "Just keep going, please!" I begged. He needed nothing more and picked the pace up again.

Meanwhile, on the ground, I heard Pikachu fulfilling my request. "They'll be fine. Just let them go." I turned my head slightly. No one had moved. They must have all understood, even Ash and the other two. I smiled, and then turned my head forward, determined. Whatever was happening, I was going to do everything in my power to make it stop.

In no time, we were over the outskirts of Veilstone City. I began scanning the ground. "I thought you said it was in Veilstone City," Staravia said.

"I didn't mean just the 'city' city," I answered, still looking. "For all we know, it's- hey, what's that?" Staravia looked to where I was pointing. It looked like some sort of fight.

"I'll go in a little lower," my teammate stated. He swooped down a bit, and we immediately recognized one of the faces. "Hey, isn't that Paul?"

It was. And those four boys as well. My eyes were wide. "Staravia, let me off!" I exclaimed.

"Why?" he asked, a little annoyed, but I knew it was directed at my former Trainer. "He's getting what he deserves."

Not even Paul deserved what I was seeing. "You don't understand!" I shouted in a panic. "I don't think they're looking to just hurt him!"

"It's just a pointless human scuffle," Staravia reasoned.

"They're very, very mean people, Staravia! Paul told Haley they've whipped and knifed him before! This can't be just some scuffle!"

We watched the fight a little longer. "Then..." Staravia gulped. He was staring to get the grasp of the situation, but he looked like he didn't want to say it. I didn't blame him, and still don't. "Then what do you think they'll do to him?"

I gulped, too, and I was shaking. "I-it looks like..." I choked on the words for a second before I saw a hard kick to Paul's ribs and blurted out, "They're going to kill him!"

...

_They're going to kill me, _was the thought that came to mind with that last kick to the ribs. Strangely, I still didn't have any broken bones, but I was pretty sure I was bruised. I got on my knees, one arm around my stomach, and then I began to chuckle. Yeah, it's official, I was going crazy. Now I was on one knee, but still holding my stomach. "Heh, that all you got?" What part of me thought my death wasn't already painful or quick enough?!

"So you grew yourself a backbone?" Jason asked in a low voice. "Fine then. Allow me to break it."

I stood up, not even close to wanting to back down. But at the same time, I saw that time drawing near. My Pokémon were at home, and no one was coming down the road. I was all alone, so I was going to have to fight alone. Suddenly, as they took a few steps towards me, a Flame Wheel kept us all apart. And who should be revealed as the flames died down but... "Chim...Chimchar?" I couldn't believe it. Where did he come from, and why was he here?

My former Pokémon turned to the gang, anger in his eyes. Well, my questions really weren't important. What was important was that he had come from the sky (literally) to help, and now I had an ally. "Oh, so you have company?" Jason chuckled. "Doesn't really matter, I'll crush you all the same." He charged for me.

Now, let me put this into perspective. I am 5 feet and 7 inches. I have a little muscle on me thanks to my travels. Meanwhile Jason is 6 feet even. He has a lot of muscle since he lifts weights. So anything he does to me, I can try and do to him except nothing much would happen because I'm much weaker.

Funny how there's this one place where any man can make another crumble.

Oh yeah, I went there. With a swift kick.

"Honestly, I can't believe I haven't done that before," I said with a smirk. The three boys watched as their leader fell to the dirt. He laid there, hands over his now hurting private area. "Would have saved me so much hell."

They clearly did not find this as amazing as I did. "You're going to pay!" Chase shouted. Chimchar wouldn't have any of that. He had dug into the ground, and we had been too distracted by my attack to even noticed. So to say Chimchar digging right under his feet and pushing him up and back caught him off guard was putting it lightly. With Chase on his back and out of the way at the moment, Chimchar went for Zach. Funny, he barely knew any of them, but he was going after the ones that would have proved to be a challenge for me. While Chimchar took care of Monkey Boy, I was left with Braxton. We were the same height, but he hadn't climbed mountains and trekked through rocky caves like I had. I smirked even bigger.

"This sound be easy," I said.

Braxton wasn't amused. "How can you say that, when every other time you've been such a coward?" he retorted.

"Time changes people," I answered and then punched him in the gut. He gasped, like I had a few minutes ago. "At least, for everyone except all of you!" A punch to his right shoulder. "You guys never know when the joke stops being funny, when the pain starts being too much to bare!" I kicked his left thigh.

"Don't act like you're some sort of saint, Paul!" he scolded through clenched teeth.

"I never said I was. To think I even stooped to your level...it makes me sick. I've had my share of abuse, just as all of you have."

"H-how did-"

"And I've taken it out on others. I've done and said things to others I wish I could take back. But you want to know what the difference between you and I is? You continue to abuse rather than try and make things better. I at least admit to my mistakes." I grabbed his shoulder and pushed him aside. He stumbled. "To say I've acted and tried to fix them...that would be a lie. But like I said, time changes people. I've made recent mistakes, one that can't be fixed though I wish it could, one I have sorted out, and the other...I will do everything in my power to make it right." I watched as the three boys were corralled around their fallen leader. Chimchar looked like he was going to attack again, and no longer being his Trainer, I really had no right in ordering him. But I did anyway. "Chimchar, back down," I said. "We've done enough. If they don't get the message, that's their own fault." Surprisingly (though I didn't show it), Chimchar obeyed without hesitation. "Now, I suggest you leave, unless you want more wounds to attend to." They looked like they wanted to argue, but they didn't. They just grabbed Jason (which proved to be slightly difficult) and were on their way. I watched them go, and when not even a speck was on the horizon, I sat down, the pain finally catching up with me. "Man, that's smarts," I mumbled. Then I looked at Chimchar. "What are you even doing here?" I asked.

Chimchar looked at me. Then he pointed right at me. "Chim," he responded.

I pointed at myself as well, surprised beyond belief. Then I did something I don't think I've ever done to him unless you count smirking: I smiled. "Thanks," I said. I stood up. "But I would think you might believe I deserved all of that."

My former Pokémon jumped in front of me, chattering away and swinging his arms in a cutting motion. It was as if he was trying to say, "No one deserves _that_, not even you!"

I looked at him in wonder. Then I scanned the area. "Where's Ash?"

He shook his head. "Chim-Chimchar."

"You...came by yourself?"

"Chim." He pointed up, and I followed. Staravia was flying in circles, probably waiting for us to finish. Then how...Oh yeah. I remembered Haley had once said Pokémon had a sense for things like this. Wonder where everyone else was then? Guess it really didn't matter. Now it was Chimchar's turn to scan. "Chim-Chim?" He was looking for Haley, I could tell.

I was silent before I said, "I chased her off, Chimchar." I expected chatter in anger, but it was as if he was waiting for me to explain. "Remember when I threw the Soothe Bell, and she caught it? She didn't take kindly to that."

"Chim?" He tilted his head. Finally! Someone else who didn't understand the analogy!

"The Soothe Bell represents friendship," I stated. "She took my actions as saying I didn't want to be friends with her."

Chimchar was chattering again, shaking his head. I figured he was probably saying something along the lines of, "I don't believe that!"

"I made a mistake, Chimchar," I admitted sadly. "Sometimes actions speak louder than words, and it wasn't like I had said anything to object to her accusations." I sighed. "But I did think of us that way, not that I can do anything about it now." Suddenly Chimchar jumped, grabbing my shoulders. His face was in mine, and I stumbled back in surprise. "Ch-Chimchar, what-"

"Chim-Chimchar!" He pointed towards Route 214 with determination. He was saying exactly what Reggie had: "Go get her".

I blinked, then let off a small smile. "Hmph. Fine, I hear you. Now, I think it's time for you to go." He chattered again, looking a little sad. "Chimchar, I'm not your Trainer anymore. You seem much happier with him, anyway." My former Pokémon still looked a little sad. Apparently, in some way, he had liked his former training style. But I knew ultimately, that wasn't what he wanted. He hopped of me, probably realizing the same thing. Before he could call Staravia down, I spoke up. "I want you to promise me something." He turned to me. "Become stronger. I wanted that Blaze so bad, give it back to me. Say, 'You wanted it so bad?! Well, take it!'" I looked down at him (physically speaking; I can't help it if I'm 4 feet and 3 inches taller than him). "And if you can't use Blaze, beat me anyway. Make me regret the day I gave you up."

Chimchar looked at me, beyond confused that I would say something like that. But it was quickly replaced with a challenging smile and a nod. "Chim," he said. Then he turned his head to the sky. "Chim-char!" he called to Staravia. The Starling Pokémon flew down, and Chimchar hopped onto its back. They both looked at me. Staravia looked like it wanted to peck my eyes out, but then it gave a nod. I nodded back, and then it took off towards Route 214.

Shit.

Ash was ahead of me.

...

"What did he say to you?" Staravia asked as we flew away.

I didn't answer. Then I smiled in determination. "When we get back, I'm begging for a training session!" I proclaimed.

Staravia was probably about to say, "That doesn't answer my question", but apparently, he found it unimportant. Either that or he understood. Soon we were flying over our group.

"Heeeey!" I called out. Everyone looked up.

"Hi!" most of them called back. Except Croagunk. I can never read that guy.

"Chimchar!" my Trainer exclaimed happily. I jumped off of Staravia and into his arms. He laughed. "Did you finish whatever you needed to do?" he asked.

I nodded, a big smile on my face. I felt proud of myself, and happy that Paul wasn't dead on the road, waiting for someone to discover him. That thought made me shiver just a tiny bit, but it went unnoticed by Ash. Then I pushed myself out of his arms and faced him. "Train me!" I exclaimed.

He didn't understand what I had said, but my determination must have been showing. "So you want to train, huh?" he asked with equal determination.

I can't blame humans for having to repeat what we say, so instead of getting annoyed, I nodded again. We ran off, with Pikachu running beside me. "So what happened? What was it?" he asked.

"I'll tell you later," I replied. "It's a long story."

As we began training, I couldn't help but think what Paul's brother would say if he saw him with all of those bruises, especially on his face.

...

"Holy shit, Paul, what the hell?!" Reggie exclaimed as I walked in the door. When he swears, you know he's surprised.

I chuckled. I must have looked worse than I thought. "Just a little scuffle," I said.

"Little he says," he mumbled as I grabbed my belt and bag. "Mind giving me just a little more to go off of?" I quickly told him, and when I was done, he blinked. I don't know if his surprise came from my successful fight or how well the apology went. Or maybe... "All of that happened?" he asked. Yep, everything surprised him.

"Lately I have been living one hell of a life," I responded. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have fallen behind in my travels."

Reggie sighed. He probably wanted to tend to my bruises, but he didn't say a word. _Leave this mess to the next Nurse Joy he runs into_, was probably what he was thinking. "Fine. Be careful."

"No promises," I replied, just like I had five years ago. I heard him chuckle out of amusement and disbelief as I walked out the door.

Back on the road. And now, not only was I heading for Pastoria City, but to Haley as well.

Then a thought crossed my mind.

"Wait." I turned my head. "What if she's behind me?"


	15. Chapter 15: Forgiveness

Humming. That's something you don't hear me do every day. You also probably don't hear the words "Paul" and "happy" in the same sentence unless there's a "not" somewhere in it. But that day that third word wasn't there. Because I was happy. Two days before, I realized something, and the mere thought of that realization made me happy as can be.

What is that realization? I'll let you guess for a while.

One week had past since I left Veilstone City, and I had reached Lake Valor Resort. I'm sure I don't have to point out that it's a lakeside resort, but it's also an ocean resort. It's one of those places that rich people (like my dad...ugh) would visit, although _thankfully _there's a Pokémon Center here. As I walked towards the sidewalk closest to the lakeshore, I overheard some people talking about something called the Wallace Cup. That could only mean it was some sort of Contest since the Hoenn Champion and Master Coordinator's name was the title of the thing. From what I heard it was starting 5 days from the day I was there. At the most I would have to leave in four, then. Me, deal with all of those Coordinators? No thanks. Suddenly the smell of freshly baked bread hit my nose. I looked to the side where all of the suites were. It was a vendor, selling baked goods and bread. Apparently someone believed in setting up early. I felt my stomach rumble. Well, it was near lunchtime. I mean, I guess I could have continued to the Pokémon Center and got something for free, but...it was there, and it smelled good. I walked up to the stall. "G'day, lad!" the merchant exclaimed. "Feelin hungry?"

I nodded. I scanned the selections, and ended up reaching for a croissant. Another hand, though, had the same idea. A familiar gloved left hand. I whipped my head towards the owner, and she did the same to me.

Haley.

We just stood there, looking at each other, for a few moments. Then, before she could move, I snatched her wrist. I almost grabbed her hand, but I quickly remembered that it was sensitive. And I also laid off any real strength. I never wanted a repeat performance of Mt. Coronet for as long as I lived. "We'll...uh...be right back," I informed the owner before taking off, dragging Haley behind me. I ducked into an alleyway. Now we were on opposite walls, looking at each other again. My heart was racing so fast I thought it would literally explode out of my chest. "H-Haley, I-"

"I'm sorry," she said. She turned. "I don't feel like talking."

No, no, NO! This wasn't how it was suppose to go! "Please listen!" I begged. "I-"

"Why?" she asked. Her eyes darted to me, but they weren't glaring like last time. That would be a slightly good sign if Haley wasn't thinking of walking away. "So you can spit out apologizes that may or may not mean anything?" She began walking.

"Just please hear me out!" I continued as she walked. "You can choose to believe them or not, but please, at least give me a chance!" Or maybe...maybe she had given me chances, and this was her way of saying I was out. That thought crushed me, but I couldn't give in. Not just yet.

She stopped. Good, maybe- "How long are you going to be staying here?" Or not.

_As long as it takes, _I wanted to say. But that wasn't true. I had places to be. I sighed. "At most, four days."

"Are you going to be at the Pokémon Center?"

If she was thinking of staying there and I said yes, those plans of hers would probably change. I pointed towards Route 214. "In the woods on the route, very close to the resort," I told her.

Haley stood there. "I'll find you when I'm ready, and not a moment before. Don't think of trying to find me and change my mind." And with that she walked off, gone.

I stood in the alley, alone. I sighed and leaned against the wall. That could have gone _so_ much better. But it could have gone worse as well. Guess I should have been glad I didn't get yelled at or hurt in any way. I finally walked out and, as promised, I returned to the stall. "Girl problems?" the owner asked.

I shrugged. I took that croissant I had been eyeing before and walked back towards Route 214. As soon as I sat on the ground against a tree, Torterra and Electabuzz emerged from their Poké Balls on their own. Either they had noticed my stress or the lack of training today. Looking at my face, they grew slightly worried. I sighed. "It didn't go so well," I reported. At first they were slightly confused. But seeing as she had been on all of our minds (except Gliscor; it had no idea who Haley was or why she was really that important, and I think it even made a face once, as if it was wondering why I was even trying), they quickly understood, looking even more down than before. "She is at least thinking of hearing me out, so it's not a total no," I told them and then ate a little. "At least, not as of yet."

"Tor, Torterra," my starter said. How I wish I knew what he was saying so I could respond properly.

I looked at him. "I just don't know what's going to happen if she decides to not come along, Torterra," I admitted. "I don't want to lash out like that again, but I'm...I'm afraid I will." I quickly finished my food, gulped it down, and then yelled out in frustration. "No one said love would be so hard!" I shouted before flopping on my back.

That realization I said I had: I love Haley. At first, I freaked out a little, and I even thought maybe I was wrong. But the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. That would explain why I felt empty with her gone, and when she was around the world just felt so right. Why my blood boiled when guys tried hitting on her and why I felt electricity that one day. Then I thought about what would have made me think this way. How she battled came to mind first, followed immediately by her personality, how she could be super happy (but not to an annoying level) and a total badass. It was all in one person. Next came how she laughed, how she smiled, her eyes...oh man, that's what got me the most. They're what still get me the most. I never understood what people meant by drowning into one's eyes, but now, thinking back to those hazels, I understood it all too well.

In three days, I've learned that love is a wonderful thing. And a horrible curse.

The hours crept by, and soon it was night. We hadn't done a damn thing. Everyone (minus Gliscor) seemed as down as I was that there was a chance I wouldn't even get to plead my case. I made dinner and got out Poké Food for everyone else. We just sat in the clearing we called camp in silence, and Weavile snuck off at some point. I didn't notice until he had returned, looking even more down than before. "And where did you sneak off to?" I asked. I would have sounded more stern, but I was too busying being surprised at how I missed his actions.

My Dark-Ice type looked at me and hung his head in defeat. "Wea..." he sighed.

I thought. "Did you try convincing her?" He nodded. Clearly it went as well as my attempt. Guess if even my Pokémon couldn't convince her, our only option really was waiting.

We all must have dozed off at some point, because the next thing the seven us knew, it was morning. My neck was killing me. Using your bag as your pillow will do that. Shaking my head to push sleep away, I returned everyone to their Poké Balls. I still wasn't up for training. I sighed and decided to go to the lakeshore.

Now, I may hate rich snobs, mainly because my old man is one, but I can at least see why they come to places like this. Lake Valor really is beautiful, and that's what I kept thinking as I leaned on the railing, the slight wind barely affecting the clean-and-clear-as-glass water. "Maybe I _should _rent a room, just until she agrees to talk to me," I mumbled to myself. "They'd give me one...I think. All I'd have to do is show my ID and say, 'Yeah, I'm _that_ Zuckerman' and they-" A roar of a Steelix interrupted my thoughts. My head whipped towards the sound, and now there were people running away from it in panic. Alright, what idiot upset their own Pokémon? There was no way this Steelix was wild since Lake Valor and the surrounding areas weren't the right environments. Well, since these rich assholes were too busy trying to run instead of save the resort, and it seemed no Coordinators were close, I figured I had to do something. I ran towards the attacking Steelix. "Ursaring, stand by for battle!" I shouted as I ran, throwing his Poké Ball. He materialized, and at first he was a little slow. Probably because he had been the last to wake up and I had immediately placed him in his Poké Ball before he could fully wake up. And not to mention we hadn't trained in a while. But as soon as he saw Steelix, he was wide awake. He roared, and I wasted no time. "Hammer Arm!" I ordered. My Pokémon charged, his arm white.

"Slam!" someone shouted.

That caught me off guard, but not enough to not order Ursaring to dodge. He jumped back, barely avoiding the tail that had quickly come crashing down. When the dust lifted, I was met with a boy, maybe a year or two younger than me, who was wearing a green shirt and brown shorts. "And dare I ask what you're doing?" I stated. I was starting to regain my old self. Though I figured it was probably only for the battle.

"We wouldn't be doing this if _she _would just listen to us!" he replied.

"There are better ways to find someone than attacking a resort," I informed.

"Oh trust me, this is the only way," he retorted. "She's stubborn, that one. We've had to do this before."

Either this guy was _chasing _a criminal or _he _was one. "Ever think you're being just a bit pushy if this isn't your first time? Who exactly are you after?"

"Like you would know anything about Haley Sedai!" What? _What_? "If she just complied-" Ursaring cut him off by suddenly connecting that Hammer Arm with Steelix, giving me time to run up to him and grab him by his shirt.

"What's so important about Haley?" I asked in a threatening way.

Clearly he hadn't expected that. "So you know her?" He shook his head. "Tell me where she is!"

"Not before you answer my question!" I snapped and shook him once. "Of course, depending on how you answer, I might not say another word."

He grunted. Then we heard footsteps and a Mawile. "Yo Sis, 'bout time!" I sighed internally. Great, so the name of the game was Steel types, and I had left Magmar at home. Not to mention I had kind of forgot the "we" part.

"You are so useless, Colin," a voice, sounding exasperated, replied. I turned and was met with a girl who sort of looked like Haley, but her face was slightly different, she looked older than her by one year, and she had green eyes and brown hair. She was wearing something similar to Haley, a t-shirt and a skirt, but it looked like a school uniform, not something a traveler or a criminal would wear. "Mawile, save my idiot brother with Flash Cannon."

I jumped out of the way of the blast, dropping this Colin kid in the process. "Electabuzz, Brick Break!" I ordered as I released him as well. As my Pokémon attacked, there was the sound of electricity and fire coming from somewhere farther down. I turned and sure enough, there was a Thunderbolt and a Flamethrower being exchanged.

"Looks like Mom found her," the sister said. "Again. Why does she get all of the fun?"

"What do you people want from Haley?!" I demanded.

"And to what purpose does my cousin serve you?" she asked.

"You attack your own family?!" No matter how much Reggie gets on my nerves and how much I get on his, we wouldn't attack each other. And as much as we hate our dad, we wouldn't do that, and neither would he...I think.

The teen rolled her eyes. "That's the only way for us to get our hands on her," she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "She refuses to come along quietly."

"Well, maybe if you weren't such assholes, she would!" I snapped.

"We tried the first time, and she said, 'No way!'. So we have to use force."

"And _I'm _the idiot?!" Colin retorted. "Why are you telling him everything, Karina?!"

"I didn't say why we're taking her, doofus," Karina stated. "Speaking of you, why does it matter to you why we're doing this?" She walked closer to me, and as she did she began smiling. Oh this can _only _mean trouble. "Or...is it that you're important to her?" At the moment, that couldn't have been farther- why was there suddenly a finger lifting my chin up? "I mean, I guess I can see why. You _are _kind of cute." What was wrong with this girl?! "I might just steal you, just to see how my cousin will act."

"She won't care," I responded.

The girl blinked. "Oh, so then...why do you care if she wouldn't?"

_One-sided attractions _are_ a thing, you know, _I wanted to say. But there was also no way I was confessing to anyone but my Pokémon (which, in all honesty, that was completely by accident; they found out the day after I did, and that turned into an extra long training session for them), so instead I replied with, "I don't like seeing kidnappings."

"Mmm, such a hero," she cooed. Then she- oh God she was snuggling my chest! "Though I really wish you were _my _shining knight in armor."

Man this was uncomfortable. And definitely unwanted. "Get the hell away from me," I grumbled, but it was drowned out by someone yelling the same exact sentence.

"In-Infernape!" I heard Haley's Sinnoh starter shout. I turned to see Pokémon and Trainer engaged in battle with a Magnezone with a middle-aged woman who looked like a cross between all three of the related kids.

Funny, I should have been focused on helping Haley out, but in that spilt instant I saw Infernape for the first time I thought, _Damn it, I missed his evolution._

"Always the same song and dance with you!" the woman snapped. "Just give up already!"

"I should say the same thing to you!" Haley snapped back. As the aunt and niece argued over Haley's freedom, I noticed the water behind them bubbling. Something was going to attack her from behind. I should have yelled, but I acted on instinct.

I pushed my...new admirer...away and ran. Mawile and Steelix tried to stop me, but Electabuzz and Ursaring made sure that I wasn't interrupted. I jumped, pushing both Haley and I out of the way of a metal claw that suddenly emerged from the water, intent on snatching Haley, no doubt. The claw reminded me of something that Team Rocket gang would use, except this was for a person, not a Pokémon. Infernape was able to jump out of the way before it caught him. The machine that the claw was attached to popped out of the water, revealing a man (who was visibly frustrated at was most likely another failed attempt at the plan actually working) piloting it. A Skarmory flew next to him. Haley and I sat up as our three Pokémon joined us. "You have one messed up extended family," I told her.

"My dad isn't too happy about how his sister turned out, either," Haley replied as we stood up. She looked at me. "You wouldn't happen to have a Fire type on you?"

I wondered if that was suppose to be a stab at my heart, but there was no trace of it in her voice. "Unfortunately, I left Magmar at home," I answered. "Funny, I was cursing myself out for the bad timing as well."

She chuckled. A good sign to the fact that maybe she didn't hate me quite as much as I thought. "That's okay. You handle Skarmory and Magnezone. I'll handle my cousins."

"I would rather not deal with Karina. She tried hitting on me."

"_Did she now_?" Haley sounded slightly annoyed. So did...did she like me, too? Or was she more upset that Karina was treating all of this like a game? Haley released Empoleon.

"Aw, damn it, did I miss _everyone's _evolution?"

Her eyes darted to me. Crap, I shouldn't have said- Then she smiled. "Unfortunately. Does this mean you won't do anything stupid anymore?"

I almost forgot about her family, too busy trying to figure out if that meant she was okay with me traveling with her again. "W-well...I still have to apologize-"

"If you help me get rid of these creeps, I'll listen to you, and most likely I will forgive you. Assuming, of course, you make a good apology." She smiled even bigger. "I wonder, what does Paul look like when he begs?" She winked.

If there wasn't this group of kidnappers standing in front of us threatening to take my crush away, I probably would have melted.

The aunt growled. "Greg, I thought you said that would work this time!" she shouted.

Her husband pushed up his glasses. You know, typical mad scientist thing to do. All he was missing was the lab coat, the crazy hair and grin, and talking about me as if I were a test subject. "I did not account for the boy, Shannon," he reported. Scratch that last point.

Shannon glared at me. Guess that chill-you-to-the-bone glare runs in the family. "Listen, boy, no one messes with the Ore Family and gets away with it!" she proclaimed.

The...Ore Family? Sure, it made sense since they used Steel types, but... "Their real last name is Lowell," Haley whispered. She must have seen my disbelief. Ah, how I missed her reading me like a book. Though whether that claim is true or filled with sarcasm is still up in the air, even to this day.

I sighed. "I don't care what they call themselves, they're still a bunch of freaks that need to be taken care of," I said.

"Now we're talking!" Haley exclaimed. "Infernape, Flamethrower on Mawile! Empoleon, Bubblebeam on Steelix!" Now that badass fighting spirit she had? Missed every second, and no sarcasm to be found.

"Electabuzz, Thunder on Skarmory! Ursaring, Focus Blast on Magnezone!"

"Dodge then Air Cutter!"

"Zap Cannon!"

"Dark Pulse, Mawile!"

"Mud-Slap!...Crap!"

I think it's clear Colin doesn't quite have the greatest of heads on his shoulders.

We were doing great. Steelix was down first thanks to an Ice Beam (replacing that trick-up-the-sleeve Icy Wind), and Skarmory was next with a well-placed Thunder Punch (I had given up on Thunder in this fight; Skarmory was just too fast). Now we were down to the women. Apparently, in Haley's family, that saying is reversed: never send a man to do a woman's job.

...I might have dug myself an unintentional hole.

"Come on, Cousin, give it up!" Karina shouted.

"How many times-"

"I'm not just talking about yourself anymore." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Haley's twitch. "That boy-" A very angry order for Flamethrower thankfully cut her off. Mawile was down, and now all that was left was Magnezone. It had been a pain for the last few minutes, dodging most of my attacks and only sometimes attacking. Like it was more of a distraction...

Shit!

I realized the ploy too late as suddenly Haley was grabbed from behind that claw. How had we been too distracted to notice that? Even Shannon seemed slightly confused. "She's...caught?" she asked. "I-I mean, yes, she's caught!"

"Haley!" My shout was drowned out by her uncontrolled screaming as she was lifted about 10 feet above the ground. In that instant, I remembered she was deathly afraid of heights. She became like Chimchar when he saw a Zangoose, or when I (now formally) saw the Nightmare Gang; she would lose all logical thought and either freeze or scream.

"Nice going, Dad!" Colin shouted.

"Now her power is ours!" Shannon proclaimed.

Power? What power? I shook that question away mentally. That wasn't important. Right now, saving Haley was, and if she couldn't think logically, then I would for her. "Ursaring, throw Infernape up there," I instructed. "Once you're up there, get Umbreon's Poké Ball and throw it to me. After that, try and pry that claw open. Umbreon will help." The two nodded. Ursaring took Infernape's wrist and threw him up at the claw. The four-foot chimp grabbed onto the cord that connected the claw to the machine. He quickly dug through his Trainer's belt.

"In-Infer!" he cried and threw what I had requested plus an extra. Apparently Infernape thought we would someone else in this plan, but I didn't know who. I released Umbreon and the mysterious Pokémon, which turned out to be Luxray. They turned their heads. Umbreon looked really excited to see me, but Luxray seemed to no longer trust me. Hearing her Trainer's desperate screams, though, let her push all of that aside. I couldn't help but wonder what Infernape thought Luxray would do, but I guess we would find out.

"Magnezone!" Oh, right, it still wasn't down.

"Empoleon, Electabuzz, Ursaring, keep it at bay! Umbreon, use Psychic and help Infernape pry the claw open!" Our Pokémon went to work.

"Greg!"

"Trying, dear! But it is a little rocky now!" I noticed they were twice as high now, maybe even a bit more, and farther away as well.

"Luxray, I don't know-"

"Lux, Lux." She motioned her head towards her back.

I walked up next to her. "You want me...on your back?"

She rolled her eyes. "Lux." Clearly I was no longer in her good graces.

"Just clarifying," I said as I jumped on. "I still don't know what this is going to accomplish."

"Um-Umbre!" Umbreon suddenly shouted. The claw was open, and Haley was now in free fall. Even if I was running, there would be no way...oh..._OH. _Suddenly Luxray took off, and I knew why I was there: my role was to catch Haley.

"Faster," I mumbled.

"Lux," she replied with a nod. The pace quickened, and with her powerful muscles, Luxray jumped into the air. I caught Haley, and then Luxray was on the ground again, slowing to a stop.

Out of all the times I thought time would slow down, it hadn't. It had been very quick.

"Umbreon, bring the family together!" I ordered since Haley was still in no condition to do so. Umbreon used Psychic on the machine and, with a little help from Infernape, sent it towards the rest of the family, along with a fainted Magnezone. Now how did Ash and his merry gang of misfits get rid of the gang that followed them? With Haley in my arms, I hopped off of Luxray and performed our own version. "Luxray, Thunderbolt! Electabuzz, Thunder! Umbreon, Dark Pulse! Infernape, Flamethrower! Ursaring, Focus Blast! Empoleon, Bubblebeam!" Six attacks fired, and the Ore Family was now in the sky.

"What a bad feeling!" I heard them all shout as they flew away. Then there was a twinkle.

...Huh. Maybe they're more like those three losers than I thought.

Oh. So that's what she meant by déjà vu.

I didn't give them another thought as I stood the trembling girl on the ground, one arm behind her back and the other in the front just in case she fell either way. "It's okay, Haley, you're on solid ground again," I said quietly. The other five Pokémon ran up to us.

She took a few breaths. "Yeah...sorry," she said.

"Hey, you're the last one who should be apologizing, for more reasons than one," I told her.

"Right, you know how it feels."

"Well, yes, but also-" Her hands suddenly and gently on my cheeks caused me to stop. And she had this warm little smile that made my heart skip a beat. I seriously felt like I would melt this time, but I kept myself in check.

"Paul, everything's okay, really," she said. "I forgive you." There was a gasp of happiness from my Pokémon, and a slightly irritated one from Luxray.

"Lux, Lux, Lux!" she shouted, shaking her head.

Haley removed her hands from me and turned to her Pokémon. "I know, Luxray, but you heard Reggie, and seeing him, I believe it," she replied. Hold on. Luxray barked some more. "Don't you believe we would just be hearing the same thing?" Was she... Luxray argued again. "I think he meant-"

"Are you _speaking _to Luxray?" I asked, no longer able to hold my question in. "As in, having a _conversation_?"

She turned to me. "Didn't my family-"

"They only said wanted your power, not _what _is was," I informed her. "You...you can understand Pokémon?"

Haley walked a little ways away and leaned her back on the railing. "I guess I owe you an explanation," she said.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want-"

"But I do want," she interrupted. "Yeah, it's true, I can understand Pokémon. What sounds like chatter to you are actual words to me." To say I was amazed was beyond true. "I've been able to since the day I was born. That's not all. I can read their emotions through their eyes, so even if they don't talk to me, I can at least get an idea of what they're feeling."

I closed my eyes, thinking. "Does that ability extend to reading humans as well?" I asked.

"There are very few of us who can understand Pokémon," Haley continued. "There are even fewer who can also read their emotions. And then people like me, who on top of those two can also read human's emotions...we're almost nonexistent." I opened my eyes to see her rotating her right foot. "You can actually be born with only one or a combination of any of them. My uncle Ted, for example, can see the emotions of Pokémon, but he can't understand them. And reading someone like a book...to be honest, someone doesn't need to be born with that, although those people sometimes get it wrong. I'm very rarely wrong in my readings." Her right index finger slid back and forth on the railing. "It's why I'm comfortable telling all of this to you. You look curious and-"

"Amazed?" I offered.

Haley smiled. "Yeah. I actually wanted to tell you sooner, much sooner, as soon as we started traveling, actually but...I was afraid you would either want me for selfish reasons like my aunt or that you call me a freak."

"I can see why people would call you that," I admitted. "But I wouldn't. Though, I can't see what your aunt would want out of all of this."

"Something about scamming people or convincing Pokémon to leave their Trainers. I don't know, and I don't want to." She sighed. "Dad said she was always eccentric, but not anything like a criminal."

"Money makes people stupid," I stated.

"Not always." I shrugged. "Well, now you know my biggest secret. I can talk to Pokémon."

I nodded slowly. Then my eyes widened. I turned to her. "Chimchar..." I said. "That's how you knew-"

"I didn't know about the Zangoose incident," Haley stated. "But I did know Chimchar wanted to get strong, because he wanted to please you." She looked at me. "To live up to your expectation. You were the first, human or Pokémon, to ever believe in him, Paul. That's what he told me once."

Now it made sense. Why Chimchar was a little timid, why he gave up sometimes, and why he wanted to stay despite me pushing him away. It was why he came to help me. Once, I had wanted to call her out for lying right to my face, but the weight of my mistake was taking priority. I slammed my head on the railing. "Rub salt in my wounds, will you?" I groaned.

"Reggie told me what had happened," Haley said. "I'm at least happy for you thanking him."

"I didn't tell Reggie everything," I stated, rubbing my head. "I made Chimchar promise me something."

"Hmm?"

"I want him to grow stronger, and then beat me one day."

I heard Electabuzz grumble something. "Electabuzz says he's not going to let that happen," Haley translated. Oh man, that's super helpful.

"It may happen," I replied. I looked at my Pokémon. "But we won't let him get it easily, of course. He has to work for it, and if he can't do it, then it proves he was never up to the task." I smirked, and so did my Pokémon, though I also thought I saw a glint of happiness. I was getting my old fire back. And that little thought reminded me of something. "Hey, Haley."

"What?"

I released the rest of my Pokémon. They looked at her, and I smiled. "They've missed you, you know." There was a gasp of surprise (except, again, Gliscor). "If you had made me plead my case, my last resort was going to be something about being here for their sake, you know."

Haley smiled and stood up in front of the four. "Sorry I was gone for so long, guys," she said. "I just needed space. But I'm back now." The three who knew her cheered, especially Weavile. It was a little out of character for him (well, all of them were a little out of character anyways) when he leapt at Haley, who caught him. She laughed. "I'm sorry, Weavile," she said. "I didn't mean to yell at you last night." I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you sent him, and I had told you to let me think about it. I was so angry, thinking you broke that rule, I was thinking of just leaving without telling you. And I was about to until Aunt Shannon appeared." She laughed again. "It's funny. She always appears when I'm about to make a stupid decision, and then right after she leaves I rethink my actions. As annoying as those four are, they are excellent unintentional life coaches."

"Well, I really wouldn't have blamed you if you just left," I stated.

"To be honest, that would have been cruel," she replied. She let Weavile down, and then suddenly she was in my face, the collar of my shirt in her fist, and I was staring at her narrowed eyes. "But if you pull _anything _like that again, you won't be getting a third chance." I gulped. "And from now on, if you catch a Pokémon, even if afterwards you claim it to be 'weak', you will under _no_ circumstance release it. You can say it's weak in your head, but if I hear you say it out loud, you are going to train it. And you will _not _release any you already own. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," I replied.

She looked at me for a moment longer before letting me go and allowing me to release my held breath. "Good," she said. "Well, shall we get going? Pastoria Gym won't be coming to us, and I don't know about you, but I'm not waiting for the Chaos."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I say that's a good idea." My Pokémon nodded, smiles on their faces, and I recalled them. Haley followed suit. "Hey." She looked at me, and I extended a hand. "Friends?"

Haley smiled and suddenly hugged me. I was startled a little, but I smiled as well and folded my arms around her. "It was lonely," she admitted.

"It was," I agreed. We broke the hug and began traveling as a team once more. "Hey, I have a question about your family."

"Yeah?"

"Do...uh, the women run it mostly?"

She blinked. "What does that mean?"

"Do they wear the pants most of the time?"

"Oh...no, I think it's mostly even. Shannon's the one exception."

"So, you're Mom doesn't?" I was pushing my luck here.

"Well, I guess sometimes."

"What about your other aunt?" Now I was really pushing it.

"I don't have another aunt. Uncle Ted isn't married." She looked at me. "Where are you going with this?"

Shit. "No where, just curious."

"Liar."

"I'm not!"

"Your eyes say otherwise!"

"I think they're off-" Suddenly she was twisting my arm.

"Paaaauuuul, tell me!"

"You're actually proving my point!"

"What is that suppose to mean?" I freed myself and ran. "Hey, get back here and answer my damn question!"

Yep, I definitely dug a hole for myself.

But it's damn worth it.

...

I noticed Paul run by, followed by that Haley girl. Luckily they hadn't noticed me, though I don't think they would have wanted to see me, anyway. I had watched their fight against those four attackers. I hadn't realized Paul had gotten so strong. And his traveling partner is as well. No wonder Mars had such a hard time. "Master Cyrus, come in." It was Saturn coming in through my communicator. I turned it on.

"Speak."

"It is about the test for the Galactic Bomb. I know you do not enjoy bad news, but I figured it would be best to inform you that the latest test ended like all of the others."

"I do appreciate the truth at the very least," I replied. "Continue your research on the bomb as well as the meteor. And one more thing, Saturn."

"Yes?"

"Those two that beat Mars? We are to keep an eye on them should they cause trouble again."

"The Zuckerman kid and the girl, sir?" Saturn clarified. "But sir, with all due respect, they are just children. And I believe if we should be keeping an eye on children, it should be those three that tried to ruin our plans in Veilstone City."

"I air on the side of caution. Or are you defying my orders?"

There was a pause. "No, sir."

"Good. Should they interfere again, I want it reported, just like with the other three."

"Yes, Master Cyrus." And with that he cut off communications.

I watched Paul disappear into the distance. I remember seeing him as a child before his brother took him and ran. Such a shy boy he use to be. I met him once or twice before he began traveling around the world, and at that point in time he was more scared. Three years ago I noticed another change, as he had become cold to the world, most likely to get rid of his scared nature. Meeting him in Mt. Coronet, he just seemed content, though as I walked away I noticed I had made him angry, annoyed, and unnerved. Now here he was, seemingly happy, or at the very least content once more, and those angry feelings have melted away. I knew the change in emotions would not end today. Emotions are a tricky thing, a complex thing, and a thing that only causes strife. That is why I wish to create a world in which emotion is nothing more than a fable.

Paul should know more than anyone that emotions cause fighting, since he had been on a roller coaster of emotions himself, and yet he continues to act upon these emotions. Then I had an idea.

"Yes," I decided. "You and I will encounter each other again."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wow, five chapters in one day. I don't that's ever going to happen again. But anyway, if you couldn't tell, Paul is actually going to be a little more involved with Team Galactic than he was in the anime. Why? Well before the final episode that Team Galactic appeared in came out, I always thought he would. I mean, Reggie got involved, Gary got involved, and even Barry got involved. Fucking _Barry. _I have nothing against the guy but seriously? You have Barry do something but not Paul? Ugh, I'm rambling. **


	16. Chapter 16: Chim-Charred!

**A/N: Yes, I know I'm reusing the title from the anime, but I really like this one. It's just too perfect. Oh, and another thing. From now on, you will be able to hear the Pokémon's voices. Just know that Haley is translating for Paul sometimes (since sometimes he doesn't need to hear what's been said) and sometimes I will say that Haley translated it, but only if she has a reaction. Any who, as Monty Python would say, get on with it!**

* * *

><p>"Okay, so we're battling Crasher Wake next, right?"<p>

"Yeah."

"And then Fantina is next, right?"

"Yeah."

"So that got me thinking about something that I've been meaning to ask."

"What is it?"

"How did your battle against Morty go?"

Paul's mouth twitched nervously. "Oh, well, fine."

"You can at least _try_ and sound convincing," Haley stated.

"Fine, I almost lost. I'm better at dealing with Ghost type Pokémon than actual ghosts, but they still give me the creeps. It's why I don't have one." Then Paul smirked. "How was your battle against Winona?"

"G-great."

"And you say _I _need to try."

"Well, I'm not totally lying. The second attempt went great. When, you know, she agreed to have the battle on the ground." Haley glared when Paul chuckled. "You know, you wouldn't have lasted two seconds against Agatha and Phoebe. So chuckle all you want, Mister Pokémon League."

"I missed that."

"Missed what?"

"The nicknames. I'm just not that creative." Haley smiled. Then her stomach growled. "So, is it because your stomach is a bottomless pit or do I have to start forcing breakfast upon you again?"

Haley blushed. "Let's just find a Pokémon Center," she grumbled. Paul smirked again.

It had been three days since the two had left Lake Valor, and they were approaching Pastoria City. Though they were still quite a ways away, according to Haley's Pokégear, to which she complained that maps always made their destination seem like it was so close. Along the road they found their second Pokémon Center and they went inside to appease Haley's hunger ("Appease? Really?" "Haven't I said before I'm trying to have a more colorful vocabulary?"). They got some lunch and sat down, but before Haley ate the sound of the TV caught her attention. "Wartortle! Now, on stage!" She turned to find the Turtle Pokémon emerge from its Poké Ball surrounded by pink bubbles.

"Oh, that's right, the Wallace Cup starts today," Haley noted. Paul looked up, and then went back to his food, uninterested. "Wait, I think I know that girl...yeah, that's May!"

"May?" Paul repeated. "Friend of yours?"

"No, but while I was traveling through Hoenn I caught a few Contests on TV. The ones I saw all featured her, and she was pretty good, even when she first started out. Although there were definitely little bumps in the road." She smiled at the screen. "I guess you can say I'm kind of a fan."

"Have you ever wanted to participate in a Contest?"

"Kind of, but I also don't want to be a Coordinator. I would just want to participate in one for fun."

"You would."

"And what's wrong with having a little fun?" Haley sounded annoyed, but there was a smile on her face. Paul didn't answer, and instead gave her a smirk.

May's performance went over great as she showed off Wartortle's beautiful tail. There were a few other competitors, including the girl Zoey that Dawn and Brock had told Haley about. The two were just about to leave when a familiar voice rang through the speakers. "That's me!" he exclaimed happily.

"What?" Paul spun and looked at the screen in disbelief.

"Is that...Ash?" Haley asked.

Indeed it was, wearing a tuxedo outfit and a hat to match. He actually looked quite handsome and yet strangely out of place. It was probably because of his Buizel, who was showing off more power than grace. In fact that pretty much summed up their routine: power. Unlike all of the appeals up to that point, Ash showed off how powerful Buizel was. Still, the judges liked it, although there was another critic who thought otherwise. "What does he think he's doing?" Paul asked, still in a state of disbelief.

"Clearly, he's participating in a Contest," Haley stated. Her reward was a smack to the head.

"Don't quit your day job," Paul grumbled. Then he walked out, saying something about going to train.

Haley was rubbing her head. "Something things don't change," she said. She decided to stay and watch, and was pleasantly surprised to see Dawn. She had figured after the Solaceon Contest (which she had watched while on her own), she wouldn't be seeing the blunette for a long time. Haley watched as Dawn fumbled with her Poké Ball, obviously still a little nervous. "Come on, Dawn," she encouraged quietly. "Don't let a few duds get you down. I know you can do it."

Dawn quickly recovered. "Ambipom, now spotlight!" Dawn called, and the Long Tail Pokémon materialized in a barrage of hearts. _She's probably using her as a way to make up for the last Contest, _Haley assumed. And what a way to make up for it. The Trainer was left amazed at how the younger female had trained her Ambipom, and the use of Swift was much better this time around. The appeal finished, and Haley smiled big.

"Dawn did super!" she declared. "Aw man, I want to see the second round!" She then remembered Paul "But, uh, that might be a bit of a problem." She chuckled nervously. "Maybe I should try and convince him. Although, I don't know what the consequences will be." She then gave her full attention to the TV and noticed that May, Ash, Zoey, and Dawn had all made it to the second round. "Awesome job, guys. You all deserved it." She then had the sudden urge to contact the blunette. She ran over to Nurse Joy. "May I use the video phone?" she asked.

"Of course," Nurse Joy replied.

Haley thanked her and walked over to the videophone. She looked up the number for the Lake Valor Pokémon Center and called.

Over at the lake resort, the gang walked out of the hall back in their normal clothes. Zoey had walked off, saying she would meet with them later tonight. The gang said a temporary goodbye, and then as they walked Nurse Joy stopped them. "Dawn, I have someone who is calling you," she said after Brock's little love-struck routine.

"Who do you think it is?" Ash asked.

"Maybe it's Mom, or maybe even Kenny," Dawn suggested as they walked to the Pokémon Center.

"Who is that, your boyfriend?" May joked.

Dawn blushed. "Absolutely 100% no way, don't joke like that!" she cried as they made their way over to the phone Nurse Joy told them to go to. She clicked the answer button. "Haley?"

"Hey, Blue!" the older female responded. Then she laughed. "You look confused. Not surprised. I was actually watching the Wallace Cup on TV and I felt the urge to call you and say congrats!"

"You were watching the Wallace Cup?" Ash asked, appearing on Dawn's right.

"Oh, hey Ash. Yeah, it happened to be on in the Pokémon Center we stopped at. I was kind of shocked you were in it too, and...are you okay with honest criticism?"

"Sure," the boy replied happily.

"I thought yours was a bit too boring," Haley said. "It didn't have the same pizazz as everyone else. Not to say that I didn't enjoy it at all."

"Yeah, well, I'm not a professional Coordinator," Ash laughed.

Haley laughed too. "I didn't notice. Oh, and that girl, Zoey. I can see she's a really good Coordinator. I loved watching hers. And May, man that was a good one."

"You thought so?" May asked, appearing on the screen as well.

"Wait, you guys know May?!"

"She's an old friend of mine," Ash explained.

"Oh wow, it's cool to meet you!" Haley stated. "I saw all of your performances while I traveled through Hoenn. Kind of by accident," she added, smiling. "I think you're an awesome Coordinator."

May smiled, embarrassed. "I wouldn't go that far," she said sheepishly.

"Maybe, but I would," Haley admitted. Then she noticed Dawn. With her powers she noticed Dawn felt left out and sad. So Haley smiled even bigger. "And of course, I can't forget you, Dawn." The girl perked up. "What can I say other than spectacular? I thought you were one of the best on that stage."

Dawn blinked, and then she smiling, Haley noting it was a tiny bit sad. "Thank you," she said.

"Oh come on, where's the enthusiasm?" Haley encouraged. "The past is the past. We all make mistakes, and the only thing we can do is learn from them, which I think you did tenfold."

"How did-"

"I was actually in Solaceon when it was Contest day," the Trainer explained. "You made a great comeback, Dawn, and I'm proud of you for that."

"Well, I couldn't have done it without my friends and Pokémon," Dawn stated. "That even includes Maylene. I can't thank her enough."

Haley looked downcast. "Maylene, huh?" she said, her tone flat.

Ash frowned. "Oh yeah, what Paul said," he remembered.

While May asked Dawn who they were talking about, Haley looked at Ash. "I'm just glad she's confident again," she replied.

"How can you still travel with him, even after he said something so awful?!" Dawn cried.

She was silent. "I wasn't there," she said.

"Huh?" all three of them gasped.

"It's been quite the hectic last few weeks," Haley stated. "We went our separate ways for a while since I was really upset about his performance at the Tag Battle Competition, but he's fine now. I promise he won't say anything like that again."

"How did you change him that fast?" Ash asked, amazed.

Haley blinked. "Oh, heh heh, I mean to authority figures, Ash," she said. "Sorry about that."

"That's okay, I'll make him respect me through my own strength!" the boy exclaimed, determined.

"I think you be facing an uphill battle," Haley replied. _Especially after today, _she added to herself.

"I know, but I won't give up!"

Haley smiled. "Good, keep up the confidence," she encouraged. "Well, I should get going. I have to find some way to convince Paul to stay one more day."

"May the force be with you," Dawn stated. That got a laugh. "Hey, you made a _Star Wars _joke once, and I can make them, too."

"It was funny. I can laugh at funny things." Haley smiled. "K, catch you all later!"

"Thanks for calling!" Ash and Dawn replied before the screen turned off. Content, Haley ran out to find Paul training his Gliscor.

"So, I take it the Wallace Cup is finished?" he asked.

"About 15 minutes ago, but, uh...Paul?"

"Yeah?"

"Could we maybe...possibly...stay until tomorrow so I can watch the second round?"

Paul raised an eyebrow. "No."

"Oh come on, please?"

"No."

"It's just one day."

"No."

Haley sighed. _I didn't want to have to do this. _She lowered her head, making him look at her. He couldn't see her eyes since her head was slightly down. But when she lifted her head, he wished it stayed down. She had widened her eyes and made them water. And she had the most adorable pout. "Pretty please?" she asked quietly, adding to the cute factor.

Paul gulped and adverted his eyes. _Hook. _"W-well, I don't know."

"I'll have a sparring match with you against Gliscor," she offered cutely.

His head tilted, and his eyes quickly looked at her, only to look somewhere else again. "Um...uh..." _Line. _Haley grabbed his arm gently, making his head snap to look at her. Her eyes widened a little more. "O-okay, but just tomorrow," he finally caved in.

_Sinker. _Haley dropped her act and smiled widely. "Thank you, Paul! Oh, but I left my backpack in the Pokémon Center! Let me get it, and then we can have that match!" And she quickly disappeared into the Center.

Meanwhile, Paul watched her go, stunned. "How...how did she..." He growled and ruffled his hair, feeling his cheeks grow warmer. "You're lucky I like you, Haley, and you're even more lucky that you nail a Growlithe face so perfectly."

Haley came back out and the two had their match: Gliscor versus Luxray. Paul wasn't so sure about Haley's choice, but it wasn't because of typing. He was more concerned that the feline would attack him. But Haley brought her out, saying the reason was that Luxray could get use to being around Paul again. Not to mention she wanted to get some training in since Luxray was going to compete at the Pastoria Gym. It was actually a good match, fairly even, and by the time they decided to call it quits the sun was starting to set. They healed their Pokémon, had dinner, and then went to bed. And the next morning they watched some of the second round. The four people Haley was following were doing great, but halfway through Ash's battle against a Coordinator named Kyle, Paul turned and began to walk away. "Hey, Paul, I thought you said we would stay!" Haley cried.

"We've stayed long enough," Paul said. "And don't think you can use the Growlithe face again." _No matter how adorable it makes you look, _he added, mentally smiling.

"Okay, fine," Haley sighed. She looked back at the TV as Buizel's Ice Aqua Jet hit the Lanturn. "Good luck, guys," she whispered before following Paul towards Pastoria City.

And their fourth badge.

...

Two days had passed and they still weren't at Pastoria. They were pretty close, but that wasn't close enough for Haley. "I will personally fine whoever made these stupid maps," she grumbled. Paul was about to reply when a Drapion walked out of the forest. Well, more like jumped. They had probably wandered into its territory. "Wah! Don't scare me like that!" Haley exclaimed. Drapion mumbled something. "Well, _excuse _me, Prince Charming! How am I suppose to know where your territory ends and begins? It's not like there are lines, and I can't smell your scent!" Paul chuckled. "And what's so funny?"

"It's amusing to see you argue like its human," he replied.

"Yeah, well, he's got a bad attitude, kind of like a certain plum head I know."

"Now I wonder who that is?" Haley stuck out her tongue. "And you," he turned to the Drapion. "How does a battle sound?"

"Only if you can catch me," he replied (generously translated by Haley, who grumbled it out thanks to still being a little peeved). Paul quickly brought out Electabuzz, and before Drapion could burrow away, he ordered a Thunder Punch, sending Drapion onto the other side of the small river.

"Now use Thunder!" Paul commanded. Electabuzz shot out the powerful bolt, which hit the wild Drapion. Paul brought out a Poké Ball, ready to catch it. Suddenly they heard screaming, and they looked up to see a falling Gligar. Paul moved out of the way, but Haley wasn't so fortunate and ended up with a Gligar on her face and pinned against a rock. Seeing the Trainers and Pokémon distracted, Drapion took the opportunity to dig into the ground and escape.

"Aw, damn it!" Electabuzz cursed.

"Don't worry, it's not our problem," Paul told him, noticing the Electric type's outburst.

"Someone get this thing off me!" Haley cried, though it was a little muffled. Gligar jumped off, allowing Haley to breathe and step away. Now Gligar was surrounded, and it realized it. Electabuzz was glaring, angry for letting Drapion get away. Haley was pissed, seeing as how she had been between a rock and a hard place. Paul was annoyed because...Paul. They were so focused on Gligar they didn't notice the Staravia that flew over them and then doubled back.

"So, what should we do?" Electabuzz asked. "Because I vote we punch its face in." Gligar's eyes watered up.

"We're not going to go that far," Haley replied. "Although I agree something should be done. I say scolding is nice."

"Then I've got the perfect thing to say," Paul said. He stared right into Gligar's watering eyes. "You stopped our training. Get out."

They heard footsteps coming from behind them. "Hey, it's Paul." Ash.

The three turned around, and Gligar happily ran to its owner. "It was so scary!" he cried as he ran up to Ash, getting embraced in a hug.

The rest of Ash's group ran up, one of them being Chimchar, who noticed that Paul was looking at him. And while he had made his promise with determination, that didn't mean Paul wasn't...daunting. He sidestepped so he was behind Ash's back as Pikachu and Turtwig stepped forward. "Hello," Turtwig greeted pleasantly.

"Nice to see you!" Pikachu exclaimed happily.

"Yeah, yeah," Electabuzz replied, though his tone wasn't...as annoyed. Part of it was because he had matured a little, and the other part was because Haley was still a little ticked, and if he made a wrong move, all of her wrath would be on his shoulders. _That is wrath I do not wish for._

"Did you have your Pastoria Gym challenge yet?" Ash asked, mostly at Paul.

"I can't imagine why a _losing_ _Coordinator _like you would have any concern with Gym Battles," Paul scoffed.

The gang gasped. "So, you were-"

"Able to convince him to stay an extra day?" Haley interrupted. "That's right, Dawn. Although, we stopped watching halfway through one of the battles." _Probably not the best idea to say it was Ash's. _"But we heard through the grapevine that you won. And actually, I've been meaning to ask Ash something: why _did _you enter anyway?"

Ash gave off a cocky grin. "I entered the Wallace Cup 'cause Wallace the Contest Master asked me to," he explained. "He thought it would help Buizel's battle skills."

"That's right, and it sure did," Buizel chimed in. _Would have won though if that stupid Lanturn didn't keep spamming Thunderbolt._

Paul was pissed, so much so that all he could do was smirk and let out an amused grunt. "What's so funny?" Ash demanded.

The older Trainer looked at him. "Remember the reason I entered the Tag Battle in Hearthome City?" he asked, trying very hard to keep his cool.

"Yeah," Ash replied, sounding like he didn't want to know where this was going.

"Well, _you _gave _me _a hard time because I wanted to get my Pokémon in better shape for a real battle," Paul reminded. Ash grunted. Haley knew he knew exactly what Paul was driving at. _Odd, _she thought. _I figured it would take an explanation. But he kind of seems one step ahead. Something to look out for. _"But that's exactly what you pulled at the Wallace Cup, get it?!" Paul continued, loosing some of his cool.

"What did you say?!" Ash threatened. Pikachu and Haley were taken aback. _What the...I've never heard him sound so angry, _they both thought. _And I know he's going to try and rebuttal him, _Haley told herself. _But he seems to realize no matter what Paul is kind of right. Even if he is a bit gentler with his Pokémon. Ash, could you possibly not be as naïve as everyone thinks? _"When I was in that Tag Battle, the only thing I was thinking about was trying to win it!" _Or...you know, I could always be wrong. He sounds like himself again but I swear I saw something. _"The only thing _you _were thinking about was powering up your own Pokémon!" _And there he goes again! I don't get it, I'm so confused! _

"Well the fact is," Paul retorted, "I _did _win it. You weren't able to win the Wallace Cup, now were you? Another perfect example of just how strong you aren't."

Ash growled. "Paul, you've got to give him some credit," Haley piped up, trying to avoid the obvious fight coming on. "He _was _up against Coordinators who do Contests as their career and are from all around the world."

"Does it really change the fact that he lost?" Paul countered.

Haley was about to comment again, but Ash beat her to it. "Look, both of us have the same goal of winning the Sinnoh League someday, right?" he pointed out. _Oh, _Haley thought. _Well this is better than expected. _"And of course we also want to beat the Sinnoh League Champion, Cynthia, too." _...Fuck._

Paul stared, wondering how much he would have to do so in order to burn holes into this brat. "Your point?" he asked.

"After you battled Cynthia, you told me to do whatever I want," Ash reminded. _Must have been while I was asleep. _"To battle my own way. And you told me that's what you were going to do, too."

_How the hell did he do that? _Paul asked. _That's a pretty smart answer. _"I...guess I said that," he admitted.

"Yeah, well." _Oh good, back to normal...still don't know if that's bad or good. _"Ever since that time I've been thinking more and more about what it really means to be strong." _And here we go. _"That means believing in the strength of my friends, and that's because I trust and love them!" His Pokémon cheered._ We'll show you the real super power of teamwork, _Paul thought unenthusiastically. He even imagined himself pumping his fist in the air using the same amount of enthusiasm. "That's why I'm working so hard to make my Pokémon as strong as they can be, the way _I _know how. We both have the same goals, but the way we get them couldn't be more different."

_Alright, I was impressed at the beginning, I'll admit, _Paul thought. _But why don't I have a little fun? _He chuckled. "You sure do get worked up a lot," he teased. Ash, of course, wasn't pleased that his speech seemingly went through one ear and out the other, which of course caught Haley's eye once more.

"Didn't anything Cynthia say to you mean anything, Paul?" Brock asked after calming Ash down.

"The fact that something was born when all of us met, and that we all get stronger in our _own ways_?" Haley asked. "Brock, no disrespect, but I think those words can apply to negative emotions, too. Not every person you meet is going to be friends with you."

"Besides," Paul stated, "that's not my thing." The three gasped, and Haley tensed up. "In some cases," Paul added under his breath so that only she could hear. She relaxed. "We're wasting our time," he said, going back to normal volume. "Return now." And he beamed Electabuzz back. He turned around and began to walk down the trail to Pastoria City, Haley following him.

"Not so fast, Paul!" Ash shouted. _Oh, come on, we were so close! _Haley thought but kept walking when she noticed Paul was. _Please, please, please ignore. _"Let's have a battle! I want to show you how strong we've gotten!"

But Paul kept walking. And Chimchar wasn't going to let him get away with that. He ran forward. "Fight us, right now!" he shouted.

His former Trainer stopped. "What was that?" he asked Haley. She looked at him, then at Chimchar, noted the determination in his eyes, and then back at Paul. She told him, and he turned to look at the chimp.

"Yeah, you heard me, fight us!" Chimchar egged on.

They stared for a few moments. Then Paul smirked. _First checkpoint, _he thought as he turned. "Fine by me," he agreed. "How does three-on-three sound?"

"You got it!" Ash exclaimed.

"Good luck, Paul," Haley told him.

He glanced at her. "Do you really think I need it?" he joked.

"Mmm...Pikachu and Chimchar," she said.

He chuckled. "Very well, I'll take it."

With Dawn's Coin Toss App on her Pokétch, they were able to decide who went first. The virtual coin landed on heads, meaning Ash was up to choose first Pokémon, and he ended up being persuaded by a very enthusiastic Gligar. "Gligar's going to be my first choice!" Ash announced.

"And a foolish one, too," Paul said with a smirk. "Now Gliscor, standby for battle!"

Of course, Gligar was a little afraid to be battling not only an evolved version of himself (which, if you didn't know, are exactly double the height) but also his former leader. But Ash encouraged Gligar, saying he had nothing to worry about. "Gligar, X-Scissor, let's go!" Ash commanded.

"Well, at least he can control his flight in battle," Haley mumbled.

"Gliscor, Knock Off!" Paul ordered. As Gligar flew towards the former pack leader, Gliscor made his claw glow black and hit the Fly Scorpion Pokémon right on the head.

Ash wasn't about to let that slow him down. "Come on, Gligar, Sand Attack!" His Pokémon jumped to his feet and began throwing sand into the air, trying to obstruct Gliscor's view.

Too bad the Fang Scorpion Pokémon was half Flying.

"Use Guillotine!" Paul shouted. Gliscor flew above the sand, opened his claw, and it began to glow white. He charged for the smaller Pokémon, and Ash decided to counter with Steel Wing. Gligar jumped...

Right into Gliscor's open claw.

The evolved Pokémon smashed him into the ground, and since Guillotine was an OHKO move, that meant Gligar had definitely fainted. "Whoa, never mind any scolding I was going to give it," Haley stated.

"Think of it as I did the talking for you," Paul replied. "Why waste air?"

Ash went to pick up his fallen Pokémon, and that's when Haley and Paul caught him mouth something interesting.

_Did Ash just mouth damn it? _Haley asked.

_He did it again, _Paul noted. He watched as he brought Gligar over to the rest of his Pokémon. _I just don't get it. _"Come on, you did your best," he heard Ash encourage softly, as if he had never he thought of being stone cold. The other Pokémon agreed with their Trainer.

Meanwhile, Paul returned his Gliscor. _I bet he already knows, but if he can rub in my loss to Cynthia, and he can rub in the fact I gave up Chimchar, I think it's only fair. _"Now might be the perfect time to let your Gligar know that a loss is the Trainer's fault," he said. Ash turned his head and glared a glare only Paul had seen himself do. _Okay..._maybe _I should have thought that through. Man, why the mood swings? And...why have none of Pokémon seen it? I notice it's only when he thinks no one is watching or thinks no one understands. _But there wasn't any point in lingering on the topic since, for all he knew, he was just blowing things out of proportion. "Now Ursaring, stand by for battle!" he shouted, getting to choose first this round.

Ash noted the Normal type's presence, and then suddenly Chimchar ran forward. "Let me battle!" he cried.

His Trainer turned to him. "You want to go next?" he clarified.

"Right!" Chimchar exclaimed.

"You...sure you'll be alright?" Pikachu asked.

The Fire type turned to him. "Yeah! And besides, I made a promise!"

Pikachu remembered the story Chimchar had told him. "Okay, then go get them!" he encouraged.

"Thanks!" Chimchar took his place on the field. "I'm ready when you are, Ursaring!" he challenged.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you, kid," the Hibernator Pokémon growled.

Paul smirked. "This is interesting," he muttered.

"But not unexpected," Haley replied as Dawn encouraged the chimp.

"Very true," Paul stated.

"Alright, Flamethrower now!" Ash commanded. Chimchar fired, and it was clear he had worked on it considerably, but it wasn't anything Ursaring couldn't handle. He just simply put up his arms and blocked it. "Flamethrower's a bit more powerful now, you think?" Ash taunted.

_Not bad, _Paul admitted, though he would never say it out loud. "Focus Blast!" He ordered. Ursaring formed the power ball in his hands and threw it. Chimchar held up his hands and tired to stop it. It exploded in his hands, and when the smoke cleared it revealed that wasn't even a scratch on the chimp's body.

Chimchar looked up. "Man, that stung," he muttered. He heard Ash telling him to use Dig, and so he burrowed into the ground.

"Hammer Arm, in the ground!" Paul ordered. Ursaring attacked, causing the ground to shake, and eventually shooting Chimchar up.

"Not fair!" he shouted.

"Chimchar, Flame Wheel, go!" he heard Ash command. Still up in the sky, Chimchar made his wheel and flew towards his former teammate.

"Catch that!" Ursaring held out his arms and caught the chimp, canceling out the wheel. Both Pokémon were now staring each other down. "Secret Power." Suddenly the two were enveloped in a pink aura that was stinging Chimchar, and when it finally subsided Ursaring head butted him, sending him onto the ground.

"Chimchar, Flamethrower! Go get them!" The chimp got to his feet, and when he did he was met with Ursaring's stare. Now, Ursaring's stares were bad on their own, but right now it was twice as worse.

Damn flinching.

"H-hey, were..." Chimchar gulped. "Were you...a-always this scary? Heh heh, eeeehhhh...Make it go away!" He turned his head and closed his eyes.

_Oh come on, Chimchar, you were doing so well, _Paul thought. Something popped into his head. He didn't like it, but maybe it would work. He darkened his face and smirked. "Are you sure it's the Secret Power that's got you so scared?" he taunted. _Come on, take the bait. Don't take that from me._ But his words went unheard by the flinching Pokémon. He watched as the other Pokémon and Trainers encouraged him.

"Paul, he's not going to attack until you do," Haley whispered. "You know how flinching works."

"But I don't _want _to until he _does_," Paul whispered harshly. But he knew she was right. He sighed internally. _Sometimes I hate side effects. _"Hammer Arm, now!" he ordered again.

Ursaring didn't really want to, either. He was having just as much fun as Paul was, watching Chimchar's increased strength (although he too would never admit it out loud). But he had to, and so he leapt into the air. Meanwhile, Ash was trying to get Chimchar to use Flame Wheel, but his Fire type was still under the effects of flinching. He was actually about to pass out due to fright, and then Ursaring slammed down on him, ironically keeping him from fainting. The chimp watched as his world went black, but not due to a knock out. Rather, rocks that had flown up during the attack piled over him and blocked out pretty much all sunlight. "...urts, every...thing...hurts..." he mumbled. Just because Ursaring had kept the battle from ending, that didn't mean Hammer Arm was any less painful, especially on the top of his head. He heard Paul say something along the lines of how it was over, and he clenched his fists. "No...not...yet," he muttered. His heart began to race and his blood moved faster.

_ Blaze_, he thought.

But then the blood started moving even faster than before, and his muscles tightened. _Hold on, this isn't like any other Blaze...what's going- _And then it was sort of like an out-of-body experience. He watched himself crash through the rubble and noticed that his tail was bigger than even before. _Wow, look at that power! That's amazing! I've never seen anything like it! _he thought excitedly. _But...this also feels weird. Every time I've used Blaze before, I've never been able to watch myself. What exactly- _He then took notice to his eyes: they were red. And he took notice to his voice: it sounded crazy. Like he was...some sort of madman. _I don't like this..._

"Wh-what the?" Ursaring asked.

"Chimchar's finally awake," Paul noted to himself. _And yet...it looks even more powerful than last time, and that was already really powerful...what if he can't control it?_

Meanwhile, Ash commanded for a full powered Flame Wheel. And Chimchar fired without hesitation. But that was Chimchar's body. Chimchar's mind, however, noted that his body was going to use that attack whether his Trainer ordered it or not. _"This isn't right...what the?!" _He had spoken, but his body's mouth hadn't moved. In fact it didn't stop at all as it ran right through Ursaring's Focus Blast and then Ursaring himself. Chimchar noticed Ursaring had fainted, and yet his body just wasn't ready to stop. _"Oh this is bad, really bad!" _he panicked.

"That must be the most powerful Flame Wheel I've ever seen," Paul stated as he recalled Ursaring.

"Wh-who cares on how powerful it is," Haley stuttered. Paul looked at her. "Chimchar's scaring me. It's as if he's not in control of his body anymore."

"Wait, are you serious?" Paul asked. "So...um...what does that mean?"

"I, uh, don't think I want to know the answer to that."

Chimchar didn't either. _"Come on, you have to stop!" _he tried telling his body.

"Who are you to command me, weakling?!" his body snapped.

"Paul, Chimchar's talking to no one," Haley reported nervously, completely freaked out.

"I am the strongest, the strongest there is!" Chimchar's body yelled at his mind.

"Chimchar, stop it!" Ash called desperately.

That got the body's attention. He faced his Trainer and, ignoring the pleas of his mind, launched a Flame Wheel at him. He quickly jumped towards Paul, who grabbed Haley and jumped out of the way. "Now I see what you mean," he said to her. He watched as his former Pokémon jumped into the forest and started a fire. "Except I think it's even worse than you imagined."

"And I think if we were to knock him out that would cause major problems," Haley agreed. She shrugged out of Paul's grasp, hoping he hadn't noticed her blush since he had accidentally grabbed her waist when he pulled her away. "Empoleon, Bubblebeam!" she commanded as she threw her Poké Ball. The Emperor Pokémon attacked the fire, helping out Dawn's Piplup when he used Whirlpool. Buizel helped out with his Water Gun, and then everyone noticed Chimchar was still jumping around. Ash stopped him from moving one way, then Pikachu, then Piplup, Buizel, Turtwig after, Staravia next, and even Haley had to jump in seeing as how the chimp was about to jump into the river. Now he was on a rock, declaring he was the strongest and then moved on to incoherent nonsense. _And _this _is what I wanted? _Paul asked. _...This isn't worth it..._

"Chimchar!" Ash cried. He run up and embraced his Fire type, hoping to get through to him. "Stop Chimchar, it's over!" he begged. "Over!" The body wanted to be free of whoever was holding him (of course that thought made his mind freak out) and proceeded to bite Ash's shoulder, making him cry out in pain. But Ash refused to let go, and his other Pokémon were about to spring in to help.

"Hold on!" Pikachu shouted, jumping in front of them. "Let him do this! If anyone can calm Chimchar down it's Ash!" His stern look caused the others to back down.

"Stop it, Chimchar, that's enough!" Ash shouted. "You won already!"

Paul and Haley looked on. "He can't hear him," Haley noted sadly.

"He has to," Paul replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "He has to come back."

"You won, Chimchar, it's over!" Ash continued on. "Chimchar, STOP!"

That final cry seemed to get through the body, and with it momentarily frozen his mind was finally able to get back in control. His muscles relaxed, his blood and heart rate went back to normal, as did his eyes and tail. "I...I..." Chimchar whimpered as he looked at his Trainer's soft smile.

"Wow, that was intense," Ash stated. "But you're okay now."

"No, that's not okay," Chimchar said and looked away in shame. _That was awful...so awful..._

"Chimchar, you were great," Ash assured. "I guess you just surprised us with all that power you got." He then proceeded to rub his head.

"But I could have hurt someone," he mumbled.

"You really think you'll be able to control that?" Paul asked, sounding concerned, as he approached the two, Haley beside him.

Ash stood up, Chimchar in his arms. "Who knows," he answered honestly. "I sure don't yet. But if anyone can, Chimchar can no doubt."

"I don't know," Chimchar stated.

_Does he seriously want Chimchar to get hurt?! _Paul cried. Not wanting Haley to see what he was thinking, he closed his eyes. "Spoken like a true fool," he said. "When you've learned how to control that flame, we'll battle again," he continued, giving an "obvious Paul response". But deep inside, he never wanted to see Chimchar in that much pain ever again.

Ash smiled. "K, Paul it's a deal!" he exclaimed. Paul turned, put his bag back on, and began walking away, with Haley following behind him.

"You...really don't want to see that Blaze again, do you?" Haley stated. Paul didn't answer. He adverted his eyes. The silence went on for a while longer. "Paul...why do you care so much for Chimchar?"

"I've always wanted one," Paul said. "I actually wanted a Chimchar as my starter, but Reggie said on of the Trainers had picked the Chimchar before he could get it for me." He put his hands in his pockets. "Of course, I didn't mind getting a Turtwig instead, and I don't mind now. But when I caught Chimchar, well...that was the closest thing to happy I had been in years."

Haley let that sink in. "Then why..."

Her friend looked down. "I assume you were there when I released Chimchar, and you were hiding, right?" Haley didn't do anything, and then she nodded. "Then you remember what I said to Ash, right? Although, it's not for the reason I gave."

"...If you love something, set it free?"

"I guess," Paul agreed. He finally looked at Haley, and she gasped at the fear and hurt in his eyes.

...

"That was one of the most terrifying things I've ever seen."


	17. Chapter 17: We're Having a Splashdown!

**A/N: Oh...my...GOD! I finally got around to another chapter! I actually wanted to upload this a day or two ago, but college was being a pain plus I was having this wonderful thing called writer's block. It be a plague, don'tcha know? Also, it **_**would **_**have been up yesterday, but two problems: one, my computer refuses to upload anything to FF now, so I have to use the library computers. Which leads me to number two: the library was closed when I finally finished this chapter. So...that's fun. Anyway, I hope this was worth the wait.**

* * *

><p>"<em>Croooaaa...<em>GUNK!"

Paul blinked. "What does that mean?"

"I think it means...'Hello'?" Haley answered, sounding unsure.

"You're the one who can understand Pokémon, so why are you asking me?"

"Some Pokémon...only say their name. And Croagunk, apparently, is one of them."

The boy looked at the Toxic Mouth Pokémon again. "_Croooaaa_...GUNK!" it said again.

"Okay, so what's it doing here? Where's its Trainer? And...why does it have a crown on its head?"

"You are asking the wrong girl," Haley sighed.

Currently the two were in Pastoria City (Paul swore he went monetarily deaf when Haley shrieked out a _FINALLY!_) and were very close to the Pokémon Center. But they were stopped when a Croagunk with a crown walked in front of them, sat down, and stared at them. Paul considered this a total waste of time and _would _have walked away to not just talk the talk, but the Poison-Fighting type was staring at him so intensely that he seriously felt like he had to understand what this Pokémon was thinking.

But clearly, if Haley couldn't, why should he believe he could?

"Ah, there you are, Craig!" a voice rang out. _Why do I have the sudden urge to call this person a faker? _Paul asked himself in irritation. He watched as a boy with brown hair approached them. He had blue eyes and was wearing a tan t-shirt with a green long sleeve underneath and white pants. And the reason why Paul was giving this much attention to him, you ask? Well, when the boy walked up and grabbed his Pokémon, he happened to notice Haley, and he formed a flirtatious smirk.

Paul's annoyed meter: above average.

"Are you the ones who found my Croagunk?" the boy asked, dropping the smirk and replaced it with a simple smile. _Don't think I didn't catch that smirk, _Paul thought. _I'm on to you._

"Well, we didn't _find _him, per say," Haley admitted. "We were going to the Pokémon Center when he walked in front of us, and then he started a staring contest with us."

"I thank you for keeping him occupied so he didn't run off any farther," the boy said, taking Haley's hand gently and kissing the knuckles lightly. Paul was _pretty _sure he felt a blood vessel pop out of frustration. "And thank you as well," he said to Paul, and though it sounded genuine, Paul could see it was just an off-hand thing he said to look nice in front of Haley.

Paul's annoyed meter: super.

That was a new record. Not even Ash had hit super yet. He was some where in between above average and super.

This wasn't going to end well.

"O-oh, you're welcome," Haley stated, caught slightly off guard. She then giggled out of enjoyment of being praised and from slight embarrassment. Meanwhile Paul was debating on whether to use Electabuzz or Ursaring to knock this guy into next week. I'm _the only one who gets to make her giggle! _he thought. Now that he knew about his crush on his friend, he knew exactly what he was feeling around guys like him: jealous. On one hand, he didn't mind it. On the other, it was un-Paul-like. _Very _un-Paul-like. And of course, after thinking that last wonderful comment, he imagined beating himself up. _Seriously? Did I _really _just think that?_

"So you two are on the way to the Pokémon Center?" the boy clarified.

"Yeah, and then to the Gym," Haley added.

"Shall I show you the way?"

"I think we can get directions for Nurse Joy just fine," Paul interjected. _I know what you're doing, and don't think I'll let it happen lying down._

"Are you sure don't need help getting to the Pokémon Center, then?"

"We can _fucking _see it!" Paul cried, pointing down the path. "We're not idiots, nor are we blind! Who do you think you are, anyway?"

"Name's Hamilton," the boy introduced. "And you've already met Craig, the defending champion of the Croagunk Festival."

"_Crooooaaaa_...GUNK!"

"The hell is- oof!" Haley had elbowed him in the gut.

"Excuse my friend, he didn't get enough sleep last night," Haley lied quickly. In truth, _she _was the one who didn't get enough sleep, and Paul wondered how she wasn't exploding. "We're also not from around here, so I'm afraid we don't know what the Croagunk Festival is."

Hamilton suddenly seemed even cockier than before, if that was possible. "Well, first you have to know that here in Pastoria City, the Croagunk are known as Guardians of the Pastoria Great Marsh," he explained.

Haley was confused. "It's kind of like the Safari Zone in Kanto and Hoenn," Paul clarified. _But why is a Croagunk their guardian? It's a weak Pokémon if you ask me. _He would have said that out loud, but then he'd have to catch one. That was not happening.

"Oooh."

"And so we hold a festival every year honoring them," Hamilton continued. "There's a competition, too, to evaluate how well each household has cared for their Croagunk and to see who's the strongest." He chuckled and pointed to his Croagunk. "And as I stated before, Craig here is the defending champion. He'll be competing and winning in the competition that takes place three days from now." He smiled at Haley. "Care to stay and watch while Craig shows why he's the champion?"

She didn't get to respond as Paul quickly grabbed her arm and began dragging her off. "_Unfortunately_," he began in a way that clearly meant he didn't mean it, "we have places to be and Gym Battles to win. Go find someone else to help stroke your ego." He moved quickly down the road and soon they were at the Pokémon Center.

"Jeez, Paul, I was only covering for you when I said you didn't get enough sleep," Haley muttered. "Anyone would think it was you and not me. What's with you, anyway?"

Silence. "My annoyed meter is at super," he responded as they walked in.

"And that means...?"

"Even Ash hasn't gotten there." Now she fell silent. "Can you take my Pokémon? I need to call Reggie."

"Sure, but what for?" Haley asked as she took his belt.

"...Reasons," he answered, walking away from a very confused Haley. He went to the video phones, picked one, and dialed his home number. A few rings passed, and Reggie picked up, his mouth open for a greeting. But the moment he saw Paul he closed it and his eyes grew big. "What?" No response. Reggie then slowly got out of his chair and walked off screen. "Hey, get back here!" Paul demanded. And he did, with a glass of water. He drank a little and then did an old-fashion spit take. "What the hell, Reggie!"

"Who are you and what have you done with my brother?!" Reggie questioned.

"Stop being an idiot," Paul huffed.

Reggie gave a lopsided grin and shrugged. "Sorry, couldn't help myself," he stated. "I mean, _you _rarely call, especially if it isn't about a Pokémon exchange."

"Who say it isn't?" Reggie raised an eyebrow. _Damn it, he knows me too well. _"Okay fine, it's not. Look, I just wanted to check in. Can't I do that?"

"Sure. Just do it more often so I don't have a heart attack." Paul rolled his eyes. "Anyway, you in Pastoria yet?"

"Yeah."

"Did you get your badge?"

"I should be getting it tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Reggie repeated. "Does the Gym Leader have something to do today?"

"No, he has a challenger."

"Oh...is it Ash? No, that just doesn't seem right..." Then a smile began to grow on his face. "It's Haley, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"So did you sort things out? Are you guys back together?" _Back together. _Those words made Paul involuntarily blush a little. "Somehow I think I'm right. Now if only you could tell her your other secret."

"S-secret? What secret? I don't know what you're talking about."

Reggie laughed. "Oh, so you're telling me you're sunburnt then?" That "sunburn" just intensified in color and made Paul's face feel even hotter, making his brother laugh even more. "Come on, Paul, you think I wouldn't catch on? The way you talked about her just screamed how much you like her."

"Sh-shut up," Paul stuttered. "And how can you know something about me that I didn't know?"

"Because it was written all over your face," Reggie explained. "Subconsciously, you liked her, for how long I don't know. But you didn't know about it until you sat down and really thought about it." He gave off a sly smile. "So how does it feel to be in love, little bro?"

Paul gripped the counter the video phone was on. He really didn't want to tell Reggie something so embarrassing, especially since he already seemed to know and just wanted to hear it out of his own mouth. But Paul wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. "Why don't you find someone to fall in love with?" he told Reggie, annoyed.

His older brother laughed, and then he stopped, leaning over to look over Paul's shoulder. "Hey, who's that talking to Haley?"

_What? _Paul turned his head to see... "Mother-" He whipped his head back to Reggie. "You need to talk to Haley," he ordered.

"I do?"

"You do."

"About what?"

"Anything while I take care of Faker over there."

Reggie blinked and then gave off another sly smile. "Anything?"

"Don't. You. Dare." And with that Paul spun on his heels and walked over to Haley. "Reggie needs to talk to you," he reported.

Haley looked at him. "He does?"

"He does." Haley tilted her head, obviously wondering why Reggie would want to talk to her, but nevertheless she walked to the video phone. Meaning Paul was left with Hamilton, and he turned to him with a scowl. Hamilton smirked, setting Paul's eyes ablaze. "I'm warning you, right now, stay away from her," he threatened.

"What? I can make friends," Hamilton stated, his smirk even wider. "Or...is it that you're jealous? Jealous because a better-looking guy is talking with such a pretty face? Well, what is it, lover boy?"

"Listen, Faker," Hamilton seemed shocked at his nickname, "maybe I am. And if you know what's good for you, you _will _heed my warning."

"Okay, first off, Faker?"

"You look like one."

Hamilton glared. "Second, she already agreed to letting me watch her Gym Battle today."

"She did what?!"

"Who did what?" Haley asked. Apparently she and Reggie were done talking.

Paul turned to her. "You...him..._WHAT_?!"

"He said he hasn't seen a Gym Battle before, and he asked nicely," Haley explained. "So I said yes." Paul grumbled. "You don't have to come, you know."

True, but he wanted to. He always wanted to. "Let's get this over with," he grumbled, giving in.

A little bit later the three made their way to the Gym, thanks to Hamilton's directions. He smiled triumphantly when Haley thanked him. Paul, of course, was pissed. The three of them entered and were greeted with a large pool that had circle platforms dotted throughout it. Suddenly they heard a big, booming laugh. The local didn't jump, but the other two sure did. They discovered who the voice belonged to: a burly man with orange boots, blue pants, no shirt, a white cape, and a...mask? "Hey, Hamilton, what brings you here?" the man asked. "I thought you didn't want to participate in Gym Battles."

"I still don't," Hamilton answered. He slung his arm over Haley's shoulder. "But she does," he continued. "Oh, and so does he."

Paul's annoyed meter: mega.

The man laughed. "I see," he said. "Well, welcome to the Pastoria Gym, you two. My name is Crasher Wake."

"I'm Haley," the challenger introduced.

"...Paul," her friend grumbled. It wasn't Crasher Wake's fault. He had dealt with Chuck of Cianwood City after all. _You're touching her on purpose, _he thought.

Crasher Wake laughed and patted Paul's back. "Come on, son, louder!" he encouraged.

"My name is Paul," he responded normally.

The Gym Leader looked at Haley. "He's not one for a fun time, is he?" he asked.

"He doesn't go to parties," she replied, flashing a grin.

Hamilton snickered quietly. "What a loser," he muttered, and only Paul heard it. An idea raced through his head, but it was also really embarrassing and even more un-Paul-like than jealous thoughts. Yet there was no way he was taking any crap from Hamilton. He took a breath.

"MY NAME IS PAUL, SIR, AND I CAME HERE FOR A GYM BATTLE!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

There was silence, giving Paul time to let what he just did soak in. The look of determination didn't disappear from his face, but a small blush of embarrassment did appear. While the other teens looked at him with wide eyes, Crasher Wake laughed once more. "Now that's more like it!" he exclaimed. "So, are you ready to get started, then?"

Paul cleared his throat. "Actually...it's ladies first," he mumbled, pointing to Haley.

"You sure, Paul?" Haley asked, sounding amazed. "You sounded really enthusiastic."

"I'm sure," he replied, sounding completely ashamed.

Soon the battlers were on their sides of the field while the spectators were in the stands (albeit a fair distance apart). "Alright!" the ref began. "The next Pastoria Gym's next battle's about to begin!" He pointed to Haley. "In the blue corner, the challenger Haley from Saffron City! And in the red corner, the Gym Leader of Pastoria Gym, Crasher Wake!" The Gym Leader ripped off his cape and threw it behind him. _Wait, I thought this was a Gym Battle, not a wrestling match, _Paul thought, slightly joking. _...Oh God, that's going to be me tomorrow._ "You will each have the use of three Pokémon, and the battle will be over when one of you loses all three of them. In addition, only the challenger will be allowed to substitute Pokémon."

"As the Leader of the Pastoria Gym," Crasher Wake announced, "is it my privilege and responsibility to see just what kind of power and skill you and your Pokémon have!"

"Well," Haley stated, "as your challenger, it's my honor to show you want we've got and that we aren't leaving this building without a badge!"

"That's the spirit!" Wake exclaimed. He grabbed a Poké Ball. "Gyarados, on the water!" He released the Atrocious Pokémon, who roared when he was released.

The challenger grabbed a Poké Ball of her own. "There's only one Pokémon I'd call out for this job," she declared. "Luxray, time to shine!" Her Pokémon emerged and jumped onto one of the platforms. When she saw her opponent she smirked.

"This'll be too easy," she said.

"Aren't you cocky?" Gyarados noted.

"A Luxray, huh?" The Gym Leader stated. "Very well, give it everything you've got!"

"With pleasure!" Haley exclaimed.

"Battle begin!" the ref announced.

"Luxray, let's set the record for quickest battle ever!" Haley shouted. "Use Thunderbolt!" The Electric type fired and hit Gyarados directly. He flopped around, but when the attack subsided he just shook off the attack and let out a roar. "What the-"

"That's one powerful Gyarados," Paul observed.

Hamilton snickered. "If she's having trouble I wonder how you'll do." Paul quickly gave Hamilton the middle finger, to which the other boy snarled.

"You see, Gyarados isn't going to take a Thunderbolt lying down," Wake stated. "Show them, buddy!" Gyarados dove under the water and charged.

Now most Trainers and their Pokémon would sit and swivel their heads, wondering where the Dragon-like Pokémon would pop up. That was a bit too predictable for Haley's tastes. "Jump on in, Luxray!"

The Gym Leader thought she was crazy. "What?!"

"Is she stupid?!" Hamilton cried.

"No, just unpredictable," Paul answered.

Luxray dove into the water, surprising Gyarados into stopping. The Gleam Eyes Pokémon smirked and swam onto his back while he was in his state of shock. When Luxray clung on, Gyarados snapped out of it and proceed to try and shake the feline off. Luxray wouldn't do so without a fight, of course, and that led to Gyarados jumping out of the water. "Thunder Fang!" Haley ordered. Electricity coursed through Luxray's fangs and she bit down, causing Gyarados to roar in pain and then crashing onto one of the platforms, fainted. Luxray, meanwhile, had jumped onto another platform, safe and sound.

"Gyarados is unable to battle, which means Luxray is the winner!"

"What else did you expect?" Luxray asked with a smirk.

Crasher Wake returned his fallen Pokémon. "Thanks, buddy, nice work," he said. "Well, you have guts, I'll say that much," he told his challenger.

"We like to keep people on their toes," Haley responded.

"Good, that's what keeps the battle exciting!" Wake declared. "Now, Quagsire, on the water!"

Seeing as her opponent was half Ground, Haley recalled her victorious Pokémon and switched in her Torterra. "Whoa, this is a little unstable," he noted as he landed on the platform.

"Are you okay, buddy?" Haley asked.

"I'll be good," he assured.

Haley nodded. "Then use Seed Bomb!" Torterra opened his mouth and fired seeds at the Water Fish Pokémon. Quagsire jumped out of the way, only getting a small scratch, and dove into the water. "Fish him out!" Haley ordered. Torterra stomped the platform, and shock waves were sent throughout the pool.

"Wh-wh-what move i-i-i-is that?" Hamilton asked, feeling the shock waves.

"Earthquake," Paul replied calmly.

The shock waves caused violent waves that eventually threw Quagsire out of it and into the air. "Seed Bomb once more!" Torterra fired.

"Counter with Sludge Bomb!" Wake ordered. Quagsire quickly recovered and fired globs of sludge at the seeds, and few even passed them by and hit the Continent Pokémon. Haley grunted. "Now use Ice Beam!"

"Intercept it with Rock Slide!" Haley quickly shouted. Torterra called forth boulders to get in between him and the Ice Beam racing towards him. One of the boulders took the beam and splashed into the water along with the rest of the boulders, sinking to the bottom. Quagsire fell down to dive into the water. "Stop him with Giga Drain!" The energy-sucking vines appeared out of the "mountains" on Torterra's shell and shot out at the Water Fish Pokémon and wrapped around him before he hit the water. "Nice catch! Now drain his energy!" Quagsire cried out as his energy was drained from him.

"Ice Beam once more!" The Gym Leader's Pokémon pooled together enough strength to shoot another cool blue beam at Torterra.

"Seed Bomb!" Torterra let go of Quagsire, causing the beam to go off course, and then fired more seeds at the Water-Ground type. Caught off guard and with nowhere to go, Quagsire had to take the full force of the attack, and because of that he landed on a platform, fainted.

"Quagsire is unable to battle, which means Torterra is the winner!"

"Nice job, Torterra!" Haley congratulated.

Torterra looked back and smiled. "Thanks for the help," he replied.

The Gym Leader recalled his second fallen Pokémon. "Awesome job," he muttered. "Take a good rest." He looked at Haley. "When you said you like to keep people on their toes, you meant it. I'm truly impressed." Haley beamed. "But this is where it gets exciting. My final Pokémon...Floatzel, on the water!" Out popped the Sea Weasel Pokémon with a smirk on its face.

"Hmm...that looks like it's fast," Haley mumbled. "Torterra, return!" Her Pokémon nodded before being beamed back into the Poké Ball. She then began mulling over her options. "Well, I can't use Infernape since he's a Fire type, not to mention he's been in every Gym Battle up to this point. I've used Umbreon for the last two Gyms. Empoleon doesn't have any moves that would work well against a Water type...I guess I could go back to Luxray, but there's no reason why I shouldn't try using Staraptor." She nodded. "Okay, Staraptor, time to shine!" The challenger released the Predator Pokémon, who stretched out her wings and flapped over the pool of water.

"Interesting choice," Wake noted.

"Why a Staraptor?" Hamilton asked. _She could be testing Floatzel out, _Paul guessed. _Or maybe she thinks Staraptor can win. _

"Still, I'm curious to see where this goes," the Gym Leader continued. "You may have the first move once more."

Haley nodded. "Aerial Ace!" she ordered. Staraptor charged.

"Block it!" Wake shouted. As Staraptor approached, Floatzel inflated its floatation sac, making it act as a shield. Paul took note of that as Staraptor was pushed back when Floatzel inflated the sac even more.

"That's one tough shield," he mumbled to himself.

Wake laughed. "Floatzel's floatation sac can get big enough to carry a person, you know," he informed. "Not even a Giga Impact could get through this defense."

"That's a big claim to make," Staraptor stated.

Haley, meanwhile, was silent as she thought about her next move. "Close Combat!" she ordered. The Predator Pokémon charged once more and used her wings, beak, and talons to attack Floatzel up close and personal. But the Water type just inflated its sac once more and blocked everything. However Haley noticed it was being pushed back. "Alright, Crasher Wake, let Staraptor and I test that claim of yours!"

That surprised everyone. "She wants to use Giga Impact?" Hamilton questioned.

"But I thought she hated using moves that required a recharge," Paul stated.

Whether she did or not, she was using it now, and her Flying type charged in a cone of purple-and-yellow energy. She collided with Floatzel's sac once more, and the two forces struggled. But Staraptor was determined to debunk the Gym Leader's claim, and because of that she pushed harder. Floatzel flew back, its sac deflated, but it was still on its feet. It let out a low growl and then smirked. "Pushy," he commented.

"He...he speaks," Staraptor joked as she panted.

"Use Bulk Up!" Wake shouted. Floatzel gave off a red aura as he increased his attack and defense. "Now use Ice Fang!"

Haley hitched her breath. "Staraptor, return!" she called out. She beamed her back into the Poké Ball right before the two jagged blue beams hit her. The challenger grunted. "I'm going to have to apologize later for that," she promised herself. "Okay, Luxray, time to shine again!" The Electric type appeared on the platforms once more. Unlike last time, Luxray was not cocky. She could easily see how powerful Floatzel was, and her Electric type attacks weren't quadruple effective this time. "Keep on your toes, Luxray!" Haley advised. "He's really powerful, understand?"

"Right!" Luxray agreed.

"Use Razor Wind!" Floatzel charged, the fins on his arms glowing white, and then he released two crescent-shaped energy disks.

Luxray jumped onto another platform just before the attack hit. Meanwhile, Floatzel dive into the water. Luxray sighed. "And there's no way I'm catching him," she muttered. "Yo, Haley, I need an order!"

"Chill out, I'm thinking!" Haley shouted. She snapped her fingers. "Start charging up! Gather as much electricity as you can!"

"And fire an extremely powerful Thunderbolt when I see him," Luxray finished. "But what happens if he goes underneath the platforms? How the hell am I suppose to see him?"

Haley chuckled. "Come on, Lux, you know better than anyone," she stated. "Just open your eyes a little."

Luxray stared at her and then mentally slapped herself. "How is it my Trainer thought of my natural abilities before I did?" she mumbled. Using her X-ray vision, she scanned the pool for the Sea Weasel Pokémon as she charged electricity throughout her body.

"Razor Wind once more!" Wake ordered. Floatzel fired from his place under the surface, but Luxray had seen it coming. She waited until the very lest second, however, before dodging. Thanks to her X-ray vision, she could see all of Floatzel's movements, but he didn't need to know that.

"Come on, follow the kitty," Luxray taunted under her breath. She knew Floatzel could tell where she was thanks to the ripples the platforms made when she jumped onto them. And as soon as she landed on one Floatzel would fire another Razor Wind, only for her to jump to the next platform.

The Water type was getting frustrated. "I'm getting tired of this," he grumbled. His Trainer apparently thought so as well, because he heard the command to jump out of the water and use Ice Fang. Using his tails as propellers, he swam out of the water and was now airborne...right into Luxray's path.

"Gotcha," she chuckled. Luxray then unleashed a close range super charged Thunderbolt, and Floatzel didn't have the time to inflate his sac to bounce it off. He fell to one of the platforms, and he tried getting back up, only to fall onto his back once more.

"Floatzel is unable to battle! The winner is Luxray! And so the victor is...the challenger, Haley!"

"Yeah, we did it!" Haley cheered. Luxray hopped over the platforms and tackled her Trainer in celebration. The victor laughed and petted her Pokémon's face and forehead.

Wake, who had recalled his fallen Pokémon and had walked over to his victorious challenger, was laughing as well. "That's quite the spirited Pokémon you've got there!" he noted.

The two looked at him, smiling. "That's how I like 'em," she replied. Luxray let her Trainer stand, and then Haley brought Torterra and Staraptor to relish in the victory. "Sorry you didn't get to see much action, Star," Haley apologized.

"It's all good," the Predator Pokémon responded. "Lux hasn't been able to participate in many Gym Battles, and besides, I'm happy that we won."

Haley smiled. "Good, I was afraid you would be angry," Luxray sighed. "You did help weaken him, so thanks for the assistance."

Staraptor smirked. "I got to prove his theory wrong. That's a reward in itself." Then she looked at Haley. "Though I was hoping we could replace Giga Impact," she requested.

"We will," Haley promised. "Giga Impact is not staying."

"I'm surprised it was there at all," Paul pointed out as he and Hamilton walked over.

"I decided to give it a shot. It's just not my style, since those kind of moves are just relying on brute force."

Crasher Wake nodded. "Every Trainer has a different style," he said. "That's one of the reasons why I became a Gym Leader. And styles like yours...how will I say... I want more! I wanted to battle a lot more!" Haley and her Pokémon chuckled. "But I shouldn't complain. I had a great time battling with you! And I say you more than earned the Fen Badge."

The ref held out a tray that had the badge on it. "I still don't understand why it's called the Fen Badge when it looks more like a wave," Hamilton commented as Haley took her prize.

"A fen is a type of wetland," Haley informed him. "You guys do live next to a marsh, which is another type of wetland." Then she laughed. "Though, I guess I shouldn't care. It's a badge, and that means one more step on the way to the top!" Her Pokémon cheered.

Paul smirked. "Shouldn't care, she says," he stated.

"What does that mean?" Haley asked. Paul fished out the Fang Badge. "You were thinking the same thing, don't lie!"

"True, but I also never said I don't care for a little bit of meaning." Haley growled.

Wake laughed. "So Paul, are you ready for our battle tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," the next challenger replied politely and to-the-point.

"You know, the day after is the Croagunk Festival," Hamilton pointed out again, a hint of slyness in his voice. Paul felt his eye twitch. "Would you like to stay-"

"I _told _you," Paul hissed, "we have _places to be_. The answer is _no_."

"Who asked you?" Hamilton snapped. "You're the no-fun guy. You'd probably just ruin the party, anyway."

Paul's annoyance meter: ultra.

"And I feel that since I was offered the chance to watch a battle, I think it would only be fair to extend the same invitation. Unless..." He chuckled and lowered his voice. "Unless the real reason you don't want me to go is that you think I'll outshine you, and Miss Lovely will decide to ditch you and come with me."

That was it. Paul's annoyance meter shot into maximum overdrive and he snapped. "_You _outshine _me_?!" he shouted. "If that Croagunk is the only Pokémon you have, then I don't see _any _reason why you would _ever _outshine me!"

"Now why is that?" Hamilton questioned.

"Because Croagunk are we-" His mouth snapped shut and covered it with his hand. _Don't say it out loud, don't say it out loud, don't say it out loud! _he chanted. He hoped everyone would just drop it, but then he would be asking for too much.

After all, he _could _feel the glares.

"Croagunk are what?" Haley egged on in a threatening way.

"I-I didn't say anything," Paul denied, not facing her.

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Oh come on, that was an incomplete sentence, Paul. What were you going to say?"

_Maybe if I word it right, I'll be off the hook, _Paul reasoned. "Croagunk are...not as strong...as I would like them to be?" he answered, sounding hopeful yet unsure.

Luxray stalked to the front of him and glared. In the past few days she had come to like him again, but she was still very harsh on him. "The truth," she growled.

Paul gulped as he looked into her yellow eyes. "Th-that was-" Luxray violently took a step forward and growled again. "C-Croagunk...are...w...we...weak..." he finally spit out.

There was silence. He then suddenly felt the back collar of his jacket violently grabbed as Haley began to drag him towards the entrance. "Out of _all _the places and of _all_ the Pokémon," she muttered, sounding exasperated.

Paul's annoyance meter: completely depleted.

His suddenly new guilty meter: +1.

"L-look, I didn't mean-"

"You didn't _mean _to," Haley interrupted. "Just like how I'm sure you didn't mean to call Chimchar weak, or Pikachu weak, or Maylene, or Azumarill, or I'm pretty sure a mile-long list of people and Pokémon I can name. Paul, _you _are going to learn not to use that word, and if I have to do so by force, I will. I wasn't just blowing off steam."

"I...I know," Paul said. "But...where am I even suppose to catch a Croagunk?"

"The Great Marsh," Wake answered. Haley stopped and looked back. The Gym Leader now looked very serious, his mouth in a frown and his eyes stern. "I'll lead you there."

Haley nodded. "Thank you," she stated. The man passed them and motioned to follow. Haley let go of Paul, letting him walk on his own, and walked behind Wake. Paul was behind her, and Hamilton came to his side, smirking.

"She's got you on a leash," he taunted.

Paul breathed out through his nose and glared. "I will-"

"_Paul!_" He flinched, noticing Haley and Wake had stopped and were looking at them. "Hamilton, you're the local, shouldn't you be a guide as well?" Haley noted. The teen walked up next to Wake, and now Haley was beside Paul. "You've got to learn to just ignore certain things," she scolded.

"I wasn't going to stand there and let him talk to me like that," Paul defended.

"He was trying to get under your skin, and it worked," Haley pointed out. "And now look where you are. Like I said, of _all _the places and of _all _the Pokémon, you had to pick the one Pokémon this city _worships_."

"Look, I'm sorry, it slipped out," Paul said. "But you have to understand I can't change overnight."

Haley snorted. "Sometimes I wish that was possible," she mumbled.

Paul became furious. "Well I do too, but things just don't work that way," he hissed. He hadn't meant to get angry with her, but it was clear his emotions were in control today. "No matter how much you want things to change that quickly, they won't. Now, I'm doing exactly what you requested, so will you get off my back!" They stared at each other, Paul's eyes filled with anger, but after a few seconds that emotion disappeared. Both of their eyes widened, Haley because she felt bad, and Paul because he hadn't meant to get so angry. He looked away. "Sorry," he muttered.

"So am I," Haley said quietly. "I...I need to go heal my Pokémon." He nodded slowly, and with one last apologetic look she walked off to the Pokémon Center. Staraptor and Torterra looked at him with understanding before following their Trainer. Luxray, however, shot him one last glare before running after the rest of them, talking with Haley.

He kept walking behind the two locals but never took his eyes off Haley until she disappeared from sight. And when she did he sighed. "I'm a fucking idiot," he whispered. What had it been, two weeks, give or take a few days? _I'm already screwing this up_, he thought.

"Hamilton." The Gym Leader's voice snapped Paul out of his thoughts and kept him from getting angsty. "You can go home."

The mentioned teen whipped his head up. "What? Why?" he asked.

Wake stopped walking and stared at him. "Please," he responded calmly.

Hamilton sighed. "Whatevs. See ya tomorrow!"

"You are not-!" But Paul's protests were unheard by the teen who had run off.

"Ignore him," the Gym Leader advised. "He's a good kid, but sometimes he has a tendency to not think before he acts." Wake motioned for Paul to start walking again.

They were close to the Great Marsh when Paul said, "I'm...sorry for what I said back at the Gym."

Wake said nothing, and Paul once again felt Butterfrees. He hated when authority figures were silent; it made them seem like they were beyond pissed. It was one of the many reasons why Paul was glad Reggie never forced him to go to a Trainer's School. He couldn't begin to imagine what a teacher's stare would feel like. "I am disappointed," Wake admitted, breaking the silence. "But," he continued quickly before Paul could shout something out, "I understand. There will always be that one Pokémon or two that people can't help but not like for one reason or another." Then he smiled. "Did you know, when I was a kid, I didn't like Magikarp?"

_Bullshit! _Paul thought. Out loud, he replied with, "Please don't try to make me feel better like that."

The Gym Leader laughed. "It's true!" he claimed. "I hated the whiskers, and I also thought all they could do was flop around. But Floatzel, who was a Buizel at the time, showed me that Magikarp are actually very amazing creatures." Paul remembered what his Pokédex had described about the Fish Pokémon, saying that they could jump very high and were very hardy, being able to survive the dirtiest of waters. "Now the only reason I remember that little part of my history is because neither Gyarados nor Floatzel will let me live it down!" he concluding, laughing. "But I am curious as to why you're catching a Croagunk. I became fond of Magikarp, but you seem to have no interest."

"Well..." Paul tried to think of the best way to explain. "Haley and I...about a month or so back, we had a really big fight and we spilt up. But we got back together. She had become lonely and I realized how stupid it was to let her go. She..." _I love her, she's my only friend_ "...means a lot to me. And she made me promise to not call Pokémon weak since it's a terrible habit I have, and if I ever did I would have to catch it. I guess I could say no, but if she were to leave again because of that..."

Wake hummed. "Well then, we better make sure that doesn't happen, right?" he asked with a smile. Paul nodded.

They made their way into the Great Marsh and boarded the train to take them farther in. Once they got off at their stop, Wake led Paul down a wooden walkway. After a minute or two he stopped and pointed out into the mud, saying that Croagunk gathered out there a little ways away from the walkway. Paul nodded, took off his shoes, socks, belt (since he wasn't allowed to use his Pokémon), and bag, and then took the Safari Balls he had been given. He hopped off, which he realized probably wasn't one of his smarter moves. The mud seeped through his toes slimily, sending a shiver up his spine, and was now a little bit above his ankles. He sighed. "It wasn't as if my pants were going to stay clean anyways," he mumbled. He trudged through the mud and eventually found the Pokémon he was looking for, facing away from him. He inched towards it as quietly as he could. He readied one of the Safari Balls, but as he did the Croagunk turned around. Paul froze, and the two stared at each other for a long time, not saying or moving at all.

"_Croooaaa_...GUNK!" it croaked, breaking the silence, but it still didn't move or take its eyes off of the Trainer.

Paul sighed. "This is ridiculous," he muttered. He threw the Safari Ball, and it beamed Croagunk in. The Ball shook once, twice, three..._CLICK! _Paul looked at the Safari Ball quizzically. "That was surprisingly easy." He trudged over to the device, picked it up, and trudged on back. Unfortunately, Crasher Wake had forgotten to mention the deep patches, and when Paul was almost back to the walkway, he fell into one, letting out an involuntary cry of surprise as he did. The Trainer now found himself chest high in mud.

The Gym Leader laughed. "Whoops, sorry Paul," he stated. "I forgot about those. My bad." He laughed a little more.

"You won't be laughing once I get out of this mud," Paul threatened, growling, as he squirmed to try and free himself. Suddenly one of his Poké Balls opened up. It was Honchkrow. He noticed Paul struggling in the mud.

"Nothing like this happened in Johto," he told himself as he flew to grab on of Paul's wrists. "I don't know whether to thank Haley for that or yell at her." His talon gripped the left wrist, which wrapped around his ankle. Honchkrow flew up, and after a while Paul was finally lifted out with a wet, disgusting _SLUUURRRP _kind of sound. Both Trainer and Pokémon scrunched their faces at the noise, and then Honchkrow dropped Paul onto the walkway. Paul nodded as thanks and then returned him. He then looked at his mud-soaked clothes. He sighed.

"Guess this is karma long coming," he told himself. He put his shoes, socks, and belt into his bag, slipped his half-soaked jacket off, and hung it over his right arm. Then he put his bag on and sighed once more. This was going to be the most uncomfortable trek to a Pokémon Center ever.

...

"So...tell me again why I'm helping you put these into the wash?" Infernape questioned.

Electabuzz huffed. "Because we're not going to force the girls to walk into the bathroom while Paul's taking a shower, Haley is off getting supplies with Luxray and Umbreon, and if you hadn't noticed, I can't reach everything."

"But Ursaring-"

"Would most likely scrape something with his claws. And so would Empoleon and Weavile. Meanwhile, we can't release Croagunk until Paul sends one of us back to Reggie. But you want to know the answer I _should_ give?"

"What?" Infernape asked as he hopped onto the machine and set it to the right conditions.

"Because I did, deal with it." The ape stuck his tongue out as he closed the lid and hopped back onto the ground. "By the way, is Luxray still upset?"

Infernape sighed. "Yeah. Lux keeps trying to convince Haley to just ditch him, saying we can't trust him."

Electabuzz raised an eyebrow. "Out of all of you to be trying to convince Haley of that, the last one I thought it would be was Luxray," he stated. "I sometimes forgot she wasn't apart of our team."

"You don't know how many times we pointed out that out," Infernape replied. "Though I think that's part of the problem. She feels like she got too close and now she feels-"

"Feels _what_?" a low growl interrupted. It had to be at that time the two parties met in front of the door to their room. Luxray was glaring while Haley and Umbreon were giving Infernape the "Really?" look.

Infernape gave a goof grin. "Oh come on, he asked, so I explained," he stated.

Luxray glared at him a little longer before stalking into the room. "Way to go, genius," Umbreon muttered.

"Whaaaat?"

"We _just _calmed her down. Do you _know _how long that took?"

Haley sighed. "Where's Paul?" she asked.

"Taking a shower," Electabuzz explained. "He fell into deep mud, so his jacket and pants are being washed. And he caught a Croagunk by the way. We haven't been able to meet it just yet, though."

The Trainer nodded. "Thanks for helping with the clothes," she said.

"You're very welcome," Infernape boasted.

"Oh stop acting like you didn't complain," Umbreon stated with a smirk. "Because I know you did."

Electabuzz sneered as Infernape gave a blank stare. Suddenly they heard a door open, and then there was snarling. The door closed quickly, and Umbreon grumbled. She dashed inside. "Luxray, seriously," the three heard her scold.

Haley sighed and walked up to the bathroom door. "Paul, come on, she's not going to claw your face off," she assured.

"With that snarling, I'm not so sure," he replied.

"Umbreon won't let that happen."

"She should," Luxray grumbled.

"Luxray!" Umbreon shouted.

"If he really wanted to stop calling people and Pokémon weak, he would sooner rather than later," she spat, ignoring her senior. "Face it, Haley, you're being used. He probably finds you just as weak as-"

"Luxray, shut _UP_!" The four Pokémon looked at Haley, and Paul opened the door again.

"Haley, what's going on?" he asked. She looked at him and then down at the floor. "It...has to do with what I said earlier, doesn't it?"

She didn't answer. "I'm going to check on your clothes," she said quietly before spinning on her heels and running down the hall.

A few moments passed, and then Paul groaned. He leaned his elbow on the wall as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Why can't I just do this right?" he muttered.

Infernape patted his back, and Paul looked at him. "It's not your fault," he assured, shaking his head.

Luxray grunted. "Yeah right, he's just-"

"Shut the fuck up," Infernape told her, staring her down. "He's trying his best, alright? We all know about his past. He can't help what he's become and what he's been used to being for so long. And seeing as how you were practically his best friend, you should know that fact better than anyone."

The feline growled, ready to retort. "Guys," Paul suddenly spoke up. Everyone looked at him. "Can you go help out Haley? I want to talk to Luxray alone." The other three Pokémon looked unsure about leaving Paul alone with the angry Electric type. "Please." With one last look of concern and uncertainty, they left to go help Haley. Paul watched them go, and then walked over to his bed and sat down on the end of it. Luxury's glare never left him once.

"...Well?" she spat when he didn't say anything. Paul didn't move for a little while longer. Then he slowly lifted his hand. Luxray watched as it cautiously moved towards her left ear and then stopped a few inches away.

"Do you still like to be scratched there?" Paul asked.

Luxray eyed the hand. "I...do," she answered, nodding.

"Then...would you mind?" Luxray was a little surprised he asked instead of just doing it anyway. And for that reason she allowed it, although she was still a little angry with him. She watched as the hand slowly disappeared behind her ear, and she felt him gently scratch. It felt...nice. She took a small step forward so she could get more of the feeling. "I really screwed up, didn't I?"

"...Yeah," she replied, nodding again.

He chuckled sadly. "I know you're angry," Paul said. "I'm just as angry, and I'm not lying when I say I want to change. But, unfortunately, changes like those aren't overnight. This is years worth, Luxray, and in ways I kind of forget what I use to be like, what all of us want me to be." He sighed and gave her a tired and sad smile. "I know Haley was hurt by what I said. I didn't realize you had been hurt as well."

Luxray looked at Paul in wonder, and then her eyes watered up. She frowned and clenched her teeth together, hoping they wouldn't fall, as she remembered the day after Haley had left Hearthome City.

* * *

><p><em>Everyone had their say on Haley's decision to leave Paul. Staravia, Prinplup, and Grotle were understanding yet slightly uncertain. Umbreon and Monferno were crushed but knew that it was probably for the best, no matter how much it sucked. Now it was Luxio's turn, and she was absolutely furious. "I should have known!" she spat.<em>

_"Whoa, calm down, Luxio," Prinplup stated. Unfortunately that just made things worse._

_"Calm down, CALM DOWN?!" she repeated. "He probably toyed with us, thinking it would be the most hilarious thing in the world to play nice and then just dump us as if we were nothing!" She swiped at a tree, leaving three deep gashes. "Damn it! I feel for the nice act _again_!"_

_"What do you mean again?" Monferno asked._

_Luxio glared. "That's none of your business! Why do you even care?"_

_"Because I'm your teammate!" the chimp answered._

_"And that's suppose to mean something?!" Luxio shouted. "Because Paul was doing the same things, because _my own brother_ was doing the same things, and what's the price I pay?! A stab in the back! Now how am I suppose none of you will do the same?!"_

_"Because we aren't them!" Monferno shouted. "You can't judge every person based off of two! And Paul just made a mistake!"_

_"A mistake...a MISTAKE?!" Luxio roared. "A mistake is done on _accident_, and I'm pretty sure throwing Chimchar aside and tossing the Soothe Bell away were not done on accident!"_

_"Come on, guys, stop fighting," Grotle pleaded as the two glared._

_"He's right," Umbreon stated. "Let bygones be bygones."_

_Haley, would had been silent to let her Pokémon speak their minds, ended her silence by saying, "I'm mad, too, Luxio, but there's no reason to take it out on everyone else. Monferno is right, we all care for you. We aren't going to turn our backs on you, now or ever." She stood up from the stump she had been on. "Let's get moving. We haven't covered much ground today."_

_Luxio was slightly surprised at how calm her Trainer was taking all of this. Sure, there was a little anger, but that's all it was. Little. But that night, she realized how much Haley was actually bottling up. Everyone decided to sleep under the stars that night, and while everyone was fast asleep, Luxio was woken up to what sounded like quiet whimpering. She lifted her head and looked around, noticing Haley wasn't in her sleeping bag. Then she heard the whimpering again, and she quickly followed it to its source: her Trainer, leaning against a tree, her head in her hands, crying softly. Luxio quickened her pace. "Haley!" she called out._

_The teen's head snapped up, tears streaming down her face. "L-Luxio," she said quietly, her voice sounding hoarse. The Spark Pokémon jumped into her Trainer's lap. Haley picked her up so their faces were even with each other and then hugged her. Luxio, meanwhile, nuzzled her cheek to comfort her. "What did I do wrong?" she asked as she began to cry again._

_**Mother, I don't understand. Didn't I do everything right? Where did I go wrong?**_

_Luxio continued to nuzzle Haley as she told her, "You didn't do anything wrong." It was the same advice her mother had given her, but unlike her mother, Luxio didn't reassure Haley of anything. Instead, she began to think, _This is all Paul's fault! He can't understand a good thing when he sees it! They're the same! He and my brother are the same! I hate them, I hate them, I _hate _them!

_She loathed Paul. Who had once been her best friend was now nothing more than a stranger she despised. And whenever Haley was sad because of his absence, Luxio tried to convince her he wasn't worth her energy. For a few days it worked. But a trip through Veilstone City and a talk with Reggie made Haley realize that it was pretty much Paul vs. the world, and it had been that way from the start. Despite being disappointed with him saying what he had towards Maylene, Haley seemed set in trying to help Paul out. Luxray protested it, saying people like him don't change, and she continued to tell herself she loathed Paul._

* * *

><p>But Luxray knew that was a lie. She had begun to miss Paul, and she was always at war with herself when she was distancing herself from him. And when Haley and Umbreon had talked to her while they were out getting supplies, Luxray finally understood the emotion she had been experiencing after Veilstone was fear. She feared Paul would join the wrong crowd, like her brother, and forget all about them, forget about all the times he had smiled and how he had begun to open up. And to mask her fear, she had somehow twisted it into hate and anger. After her talk with the two, Luxray was going to try and make amends. The only reason she had gotten mad at Infernape was because she wanted bygones to be bygones, just like Umbreon advised. But the ape just liked to run his mouth, and so she got...a little...okay, maybe a lot upset. And because of that she became upset at everyone, including Paul, when she didn't want to be. All she wanted...a-all she wanted... "Please don't leave," she whispered. The tears fell, and then she stepped forward quickly, nuzzling Paul's stomach. "Please don't leave!" she cried. "Please try and go back! I don't want to see you end up like my brother!"<p>

Paul, of course, had no idea what Luxray was saying, but he could just tell she wanted him to stay and try to regain his old self. He continued scratching behind her ear and also began to scratch the middle of her back, another one of her favorite places. "I'll try," he promised. "And I definitely won't do anything to make Haley kick me out again, I promise." That was all Luxray needed.

"Yay bonding!" Infernape suddenly exclaimed. The two looked to the door to find Haley and the other three Pokémon had returned, smiles on their faces. Well, Infernape's was more of a stupid grin than a simple smile. But that quickly disappeared when Luxray gave a disapproving face. "Jeez, no need to get sensitive," he muttered.

Luxray sighed. "You're obnoxious," she stated.

"Aw, but that's why everyone loves me!" Infernape defended.

Haley chuckled. "Paul, do you love the fact that Infernape is slightly obnoxious?" she asked.

Paul snorted. "Slightly, she says," he commented.

"Hey!" Infernape cried.

"He's right," Electabuzz said slyly.

"You tend to go a bit overboard sometimes," Umbreon voiced.

"Haley, tell them to stop!"

"Everyone has an opinion, Infernape, and you have to learn to take it. As for mine, I have to agree with Umbreon." Infernape let out a cry of frustration. Haley ignored him and threw Paul's clothes to him.

"Thanks," he stated. Haley smiled. "I...really am I sorry about what I said earlier today. Like I told Crasher Wake, it's a bad habit."

"We're here to help," Haley reminded.

Paul smirked. "Sometimes I wonder what I would do without you."

"Maybe you would have figured it out," she replied.

"Maybe," he agreed. He slipped on his pants over his boxers and threw on his jacket, both of them still warm. "Electabuzz, come on, we have to prepare for tomorrow."

Electabuzz nodded. "Oo, oo, I wanna help!" Infernape offered.

"Please let him, he needs to release all of this energy that I don't understand where it came from," Haley pleaded jokingly.

"Yeah, whatever," Infernape muttered.

Luxray nudged Paul's hand. "May I help?" she asked. He smirked, and she copied it.

"Can Empoleon help as well?" Paul asked. Haley gladly gave him the Poké Ball. "Alright, let's go." Paul and the three Pokémon left.

Haley sighed. "Well, I'm glad we're going in the right direction," she stated. Then she yawned. "And I'm also tired."

"Then get some sleep," Umbreon advised. "Tomorrow's going to be quite the day, I can feel it." Haley nodded and yawned once more.

When Paul was done training and had healed the six Pokémon, the sun had way passed setting. If it weren't for the fact that Haley was in a deep slumber, he knew he would have been chewed out. He quietly got ready and right before he got into bed he looked at his friend. "I won't waste the chance you've given me," he whispered.

And Luxray, who wanted to stay out of her Poké Ball, smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This was originally suppose to be just a straight up humor chapter, but sometimes your characters just don't want it to go that way. And I guess since I'm here, I want to tell you guys about a new series that ties to this one. It's A Second Glance Extras, and it's going to be a bunch of one shots of filler and backstory stuff. Think of it like the side quests of **_**Majora's Mask **_**or the library from **_**Super Mario Galaxy**_**; you don't have to read it, but it's there if you want it**_**.**_


End file.
